Architecture, Art, Design, and Culture using of mud, clay, soil, dirt & dust.
The Moroccan city of Aït Benhaddou is one of the most well-known earthen city in the world, at it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and because it is an extremely photogenic city, was the setting for numerous movies including Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Gladiator (2000) to name a few.
Butabu: Adobe Architecture of West Africa: Photographs by James Morris presents 50 large-scale images of structures from monumental mosques to family homes. An exhibit of the photos runs through July 15 at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History in Los Angeles. For more information call (310) 825-4361 or visit www.fowler.ucla.edu or buy the book.
An interesting building material production technique is outlined in a recent article by the BBC which suggests a Russian technique for manufacturing building blocks out of sand and seawater. The article also notes that unfired mud brick (adobe) technology has taken off in the US, dispensing with the energy used in firing traditional clay bricks.
Woodless construction is an approach to building in the sahel that uses traditional building techniques to build houses entirely out of mud, including the roof. Such houses save on scarce wood, encourage local industry by using local skills and materials, and provide good internal comfort, staying warm in cold season, and cool in hot season.
Terra 2008, the 10th International Conference on the Study and Conservation of Earthen Architectural Heritage, will take place in Bamako, Mali from February 1-5, 2008. This is the 10th conference organized by the earthen architecture community under the aegis of ICOMOS since 1972, and the first to be held in Africa. The conference is expected to draw up to 300 specialists in the fields of conservation, anthropology, archaeology, architecture and engineering, scientific research, site management, and sustainable development of earthen architectural heritage. Organized by The Getty Conservation Institute and the Ministry of Culture of Mali in collaboration with Africa 2009 | CRATerre | ICOMOS South Africa | ICCROM | World Heritage Centre under the aegis of ICOMOS International Scientific Committee for Earthen Architectural Heritage
Bulldozers have moved in to demolish houses in the Egyptian village of Qurna (Gourna) which sits on top of dozens of pharaonic tombs in Luxor. The Egyptian government is determined to move the 3,200 families of the village to an alternative settlement it has built a few kilometres away. In 1945 the Egyptian government displaced the entire city to a New Gourna designed by the architect Hassan Fathy. “All of the architect’s best intentions, however, were no match for the avariciousness of the Gournis themselves, who took every opportunity possible to sabotage their new village in order to stay where they were and to continue their own crude but lucrative version of amateur archaeology.” Today New Gourna is almost abandoned and all what remains today of New Gourna is the mosque, market and a couple of houses. Perhaps history will repeat itself and the residents of Qurna will resist forced displacement. However if destruction of the village continues, an important history will be lost. [ images of New Gourna | Qurna ]
Stuart Redler exhibits black and white photographs of the people and earthen architecture of Mali, West Africa from November 16th to December 16th simultaneously in London and Timbuktu. photo by Stuart Redler
Heavenly Mud is a documentary about traditional architecture and magic in West Africa. The documentary celebrates traditional West African architecture, which uses mud (adobe) as its main material. The film will place it in the context of modern Western architecture and link it to the present movement towards our architectural roots embodied by organic architecture. The film was shot by Ton van der Lee and was broadcast by AVRO Television. It can be purchased here.
The four tallest earth buildings in the world are:
1. Al-Muhdhar Mosque, Tarim, Yemen – 53 meters (175 feet)
2. Huaca del Sol, Moche, Peru – 41 meters (135 feet)
3. Tower Houses, Shibam, Yemen – 29 meters (96 feet)
4. The Grand Mosque, Djenne, Mali – 11 meters (36 feet)
The Association La Voute Nubienne is involved in a fascinating project with friends in France and Burkina Faso in the construction of vaulted earth roofed houses. The Nubian vault is an ancient architectural technique, traditionally used in Sudan and central Asia, but until now unknown in West Africa, which can accelerate appropriate house-building in the Sahel. The technique uses basic, readily available, ecologically sound, local materials (earth, water, rocks…) and simple, easily learned procedures. The major cost element is labour, so cash stays in the local economy. In Burkina Faso, Mali, and Togo, trained VN builders are becoming independent entrepreneurs. Lots of photos, and a video, of AVN houses and other buildings (a church, a mosque, guest-houses…) can be see on their website.
Last month, they put in a bid to Ashoka (a global foundation promoting social entrepreneurship) for their Changemakers competition on “How to Provide Affordable Housing.”, and we have just been informed that we are amongst the 13 finalists shortlisted by a panel of five distinguished judges. Of these 13 finalists, 3 are to be chosen for the competition prizes by online voting, which must be done by October 16th. I’m writing to ask you whether you might spare a bit of time to have a look at this shortlist, and to vote for them (and for two other of the short-listed projects).
If they win one of the three prizes, the money will be used to finance the training of more AVN apprentices during the coming winter building season in Burkina Faso. And I can assure you that this is a very worthwhile, sustainable project : Nazira and I stayed in a VN guest-house in Boromo, Burkina Faso, last January, and can vouch for the quality and comfort of the buildings.
Each voter is required to cast votes for three of the projects – otherwise your vote is rendered invalid. (Ashoka say this is a good way of ensuring fair play, and has worked well in past competitions). The deadline for voting is October 16, 2006. The Changemakers Innovation Award winners will be announced on October 17, 2006.
This is where to go to see the short-list and to vote online : http://www.changemakers.net/journal/300606/
