* Pottery – EARTH ARCHITECTURE

March 31, 2026May 21, 2026

Earth USA

Earth USA is the biennial international conference on earthen architecture organized by Adobe in Action (AinA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It brings together architects, engineers, builders, and researchers to share advances in clay-based construction. Earth USA began in 2003 as “Adobe USA,” first held at Northern New Mexico College by the Adobe Association of the Southwest and dedicated to Paul Graham McHenry, and it has continued on a biennial basis since then. In 2011, the name formally changed to Earth USA for the sixth conference, held in Albuquerque, and since 2013 all subsequent conferences have taken place in Santa Fe. Key milestones include the adoption of a broader earthen-material scope beyond adobe, as well as expanded international participation.

The Scottish Rite Center hosts the conference, reinforcing the event’s Southwestern adobe heritage. The Santa Fe venue also underscores the material focus: the Alhambra Theater is a pink adobe stucco building, and local expertise in adobe construction is abundant. Site tours have included Pueblo ruins, ancestral Spanish missions, and owner-built adobe homes throughout northern New Mexico. Typical Earth USA activities have featured on-site workshops, such as plastering demonstrations, as well as earthen installations; for example, past Earthbuilders’ Guild teams have built mud-brick stages and art displays on-site. In sum, the conference’s materials and form revolve around clay-rich architecture, celebrating both the traditional thick earthen walls of Santa Fe’s historic districts and cutting-edge earth technology.

Earth USA is run by AinA, a New Mexico 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to adobe and earthen-building education. AinA was founded by Mike Lopach and launched Earth USA to empower owner-builders. For Earth USA 2026, AinA’s Lisa Morey and Dan Krause co-preside on the board of AinA, and the Executive Director is Kurt Gardella, a certified adobe instructor who studied under Quentin Wilson at Northern New Mexico College. Gardella holds adobe construction certifications and leads AinA’s certificate program. He has been “a major organizer of Earth USA” while also teaching owner-builder courses. Lisa Morey is a civil engineer and designer, and co-founder of Colorado Earth LLC. She is the author of Adobe Homes for All Climates and holds a patent for reinforced adobe brick walls. Dan Krause is a retired ASU professor who became enamored with adobe while living in Arizona. He designed and built two of his own adobe homes, earning AinA’s Adobe Construction certificate in 2020. Collectively, the organizers combine academic and practical expertise to network experts, educate practitioners, and advance earthen construction worldwide.

Each Earth USA conference follows a structured program with three days of presentations and posters, along with associated social and field activities. The format typically includes a Friday welcome keynote, all-day podium and poster sessions from Friday through Sunday, and Sunday afternoon tours to regional earth-building sites. For example, Earth USA 2024’s schedule featured invited talks on topics ranging from flood-proof adobe shelters to waste-earth reuse and seismic earth block design, alongside panels on owner-builder case studies and clay plaster techniques. All conferences include a Friday night reception sponsored by the Earthbuilders’ Guild and guided tours to adobe missions, historic homes, and new earth projects on Sunday. The scope of subjects is broad, and organizers note that the program reflects a wide field of interest, including adobe, rammed earth, compressed earth block, cob, and essentially any method that uses clay as a binder.

Key themes encompass the use of sustainable materials, including earth plasters and stabilized blocks; advancements in modern fabrication techniques such as 3D printing and robotics in earthen architecture; building science considerations ranging from thermal performance to seismic resilience; historic preservation; and social projects focused on affordable housing and owner-builder training programs. For instance, Earth USA has featured a keynote from, “Mud Frontiers,” by Ronald Rael (UC Berkeley) on 3D-printed earth architecture, as well as a session on a Ghanaian rammed-earth housing prototype, “Kente House,” by Angeles Hevia. Other sessions have addressed codes and policy, including Ben Loescher on U.S. earthen masonry standards and Stephen Colley on adopting adobe in building codes. Topics also include education, such as introducing clay into architecture curricula, and innovation, including rotational tampers for rammed earth.

Earth USA is attended primarily by architects, engineers, and builders interested in sustainable construction, but also by anthropologists, code officials, and environmental advocates. The gatherings are intentionally international and multidisciplinary, as reflected in a speaker roster that includes talks on building practices from India, Japan, and Norway. Attendees leave with a sense of community, supported by nightly informal receptions and a vibrant email newsletter, EarthUSA News, which keeps participants connected year-round. In sum, Earth USA operates as a volunteer-driven conference in which the organizing committee handles logistics and content curation, while academic partners disseminate the findings.

The program is fully documented in the conference proceedings and often carries American Institute of Architecture (AIA) continuing-education credits. Speakers come from universities, nonprofits, governments, and industries worldwide, and recent years have seen participants from 15 to 20 countries. Poster sessions provide a venue for shorter papers on topics such as material testing, vernacular research, and life-cycle analysis. Throughout, the conference emphasizes process, including peer-reviewed abstracts, international volunteer committees, and field demonstrations, as much as the building form itself. Many sessions delve into construction processes such as mix design, compaction, and curing, while others focus on form-finding and earth structures shaped by heritage or innovation.

As an organization, AinA solicits abstracts internationally through a call for papers reviewed by experts and publishes proceedings. For 2026, for instance, abstracts were due in February 2026 and full papers in June 2026. Registration is open to professionals, students, and owner-builders. Earth USA’s inclusive approach is also reflected in its leadership; for example, owner-builder Ethan Novikoff both presented and served on the AinA board, bridging practitioner and organizer roles. Sponsorship comes from allied nongovernmental organizations and firms such as the Earthbuilders’ Guild, the SFCC Adobe program, supporting organizations, and architecture firms.

Earth USA presents a clear consensus that earthen materials are inherently sustainable, resilient, and culturally rich. Many presenters emphasize earth’s low carbon footprint and ease of reuse, as well as its climate-comfort benefits, thermal mass, and humidity buffering. There is a shared mission to reclaim these traditional techniques in a modern context. From an architectural perspective, the conference inspires both reflection and action. It demonstrates how ancient building methods can inform contemporary design, for example, how Pueblo-style thick walls inspire passive climate control, or how combining fibers and modern stabilizers can make cob livable in cold regions. On the technological side, sessions on 3D-printing clay and new tamping machines point toward a future in which even large-scale earth building is industrially feasible. The Earth USA community also exchanges practical solutions; one talk, for instance, detailed how to guide a cob house through building inspections, while others described integrating adobe into U.S. building codes. In conclusion, Earth USA galvanizes the earthen-construction movement. It has inspired new international collaborations, spurred educational initiatives, and reinforced advocates’ resolve to promote sustainable, beautiful architecture that can be made from the ground.

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March 30, 2026March 30, 2026

Kangina

Kangina (Dari: کنگینه, lit. ‘treasure‘), is the traditional Afghan technique of preserving fresh fruit, particularly grapes, in airtight discs formed from mud and straw.

This technique has been practiced for centuries, particularly in rural regions of central and northern Afghanistan, where access to imported fresh produce is limited during winter months. Grapes stored in kangina can remain fresh for up to six months, allowing communities to extend seasonal harvests and enabling merchants to transport fruit over long distances without spoilage.

Ziaulhaq Ahmadi makes bowls of mud and straw for fresh grapes. Credit: Atlas Obscura

The container is formed by shaping two shallow, bowl-like shells from a mixture of clay-rich mud and straw, which are then dried in the sun. Fresh, undamaged grapes—typically thick-skinned varieties such as Taifi or Kishmishi—are placed inside before the two halves are sealed together with additional mud, creating an enclosed volume. The finished vessel is stored in a cool, dry environment, protected from direct sunlight.

Sabsina shows where the family stores the kangina: in a dry, cold space, away from direct sunlight. Credit: Atlas Obscura

Kangina functions as a passive controlled-atmosphere system. Although the mud shell appears sealed, it remains microscopically porous, allowing a slow and continuous exchange of gases between the interior and exterior. Oxygen gradually diffuses into the container, enabling the grapes to remain alive, while carbon dioxide produced through respiration accumulates inside. This elevated concentration of carbon dioxide slows metabolic activity and inhibits the growth of fungi and bacteria, effectively delaying spoilage without the need for mechanical refrigeration.

At the same time, the material properties of the mud contribute to humidity regulation. The earthen shell absorbs excess moisture released by the fruit, preventing condensation and reducing conditions favorable to microbial growth. This balance of gas exchange and moisture control creates a stable internal microclimate that preserves the grapes’ freshness, texture, and nutritional quality over an extended period.

Historically, similar techniques have been documented as early as the twelfth century. In his Book of Agriculture, the Andalusian agronomist Ibn al-‘Awwam described methods of storing grapes in mud-sealed containers layered with straw, indicating a long-standing tradition of using earthen materials to regulate environmental conditions for food preservation.

Kangina remains an inexpensive, environmentally sustainable, and effective method of storage. It requires no external energy input and relies entirely on the intrinsic properties of natural materials. However, the containers are relatively heavy, fragile, and susceptible to absorbing external moisture, which can affect their durability and performance in certain conditions.

“Kangina.” Wikipedia. Last modified 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangina

Glinski, Stefanie. “The Ancient Method That Keeps Afghanistan’s Grapes Fresh All Winter”. 2021. Atlas Obscura.

December 2, 2024March 17, 2026

The Pottery Dome

As architecture students, we (Sascha Fawaz and Pedram Modaresi) built a dome structure/prototype merging pottery vessels with clay construction. Inspired by the Reviving Al Nazlah Center (Oriental Group Architects and Hamdy El-Setouhy) in Egypt, our installation transforms clay pots into architectural elements.

Our project focused on using pots as modular units for construction, integrating them into both the facade and roof. Domes and curved surfaces formed the core of our design, emphasizing spans and spaces that feel timeless yet innovative.

We were fascinated by the dialogue between ancient techniques and modern design sensibilities in the precedent project, reflecting a deep respect for craftsmanship while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with humble materials like clay and pottery. It not only bridges the gap between past and present but also exemplifies the potential for sustainability, cultural revival, and community empowerment through architecture.

Reference images from the Al Nazlah Center by Hamdy El-Setouhy

We layered clay and pottery in sequential phases. Our initial dome structure received embedded pots, adhesive coating with strong glue, and curing time.

We added a second clay layer to strengthen the form, followed by targeted drilling to reveal the pots from the interior of the dome . We filled joints with a second layer of clay for more stability and sanded the surface for a refined finish.

The completed dome sits on a brick foundation, raising it above ground level. Our project demonstrates the potential of traditional materials in contemporary architecture, combining ancient pottery techniques with modern structural approaches.

Proposal dome model. Scale: 1/4″=1′

April 23, 2020April 23, 2020

Polluted Pottery

While earth, the material and technology that comprises the ground beneath our feet, is considered the most earth-friendly of all materials, it is also a material whose properties can be polluted by man-made and natural disasters. Artists have addressed this by fashioning objects made from the polluted ground.

Swedish artist Hilda Hellström created food storage jars made of radioactive earth from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster area in Japan. To do so, she contacted the last person still living inside the evacuation zone, Naoto Matsumura, and collected soil from his rice fields that can’t be farmed due to contamination.

Similarly, design studio Unknown Fields Division has used mud from a toxic lake in Inner Mongolia to create a set of three Ming-style vases.

The London studio, headed up by Kate Davies and Liam Young, collaborated with ceramicist Kevin Callaghan to form the three radioactive vases from the toxic waste generated during the production of electronic devices like smartphones and laptops, as well as a short film.

“Rare earth minerals are some of the fundamental ingredients in contemporary electronics,” said Young. “For example, a smartphone has eight different rare earths in it. Everything from the material used in its memory to the red-coloured pixels of its screen and the polish used on its glass.”