United Kingdom – Page 3 – EARTH ARCHITECTURE

January 17, 2009

Jean Dethier Lecture: Building with Raw Earth: An Eco-Revolution?

The organizers of the 2009 People, Land and Property lecture, sponsored by BDO Stoy Hayward, are delighted to invite you to the lecture, “Building with Raw Earth: An Eco-Revolution? The Sustainable Future of a Millenial Tradition: Housing, Urban Development and Land Uses” by Jean Dethier.

The lecture will be held Tuesday, February 17th, 2008 in Fitzwilliam College Auditorium, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge CB3 0DG at 5:00 pm, followed by a drinks reception. For more information contact mmcy100@cam.ac.uk

May 12, 2008

Library and Archive at Douai Abbey

Architect David Richmond & Partners and structural engineer Price & Myers are creating a rammed earth wall using local soil for a new library and archive at Douai Abbey. The proposed 300mm-thick, 2.7m-tall earth walls, which will be built on a 100mm-tall concrete plinth, offer the right amount of thermal mass to ensure a stable internal temperature. When built, it will be the only library in the UK to use rammed earth technology. It is also the first time that either the architect or the structural engineer have worked with rammed earth.

December 7, 2007

Eartha

EARTHA, The East Anglian Regional Telluric Houses Association, is an organization whose aims and objectives are to encourage the development of expertise and understanding in all aspects of earth building in the east of England by:

Establishing a network of people from various professions and trades all of whom have an interest in the study, maintenance and promotion of earth buildings in the east of England: through links with ICOMOS it will join with other networks in the United Kingdom and worldwide.

Providing a forum for discussion of issues relating to earth building in the east of England.

Providing advice on the repair and maintenance of earth buildings through an information service, the publication of technical guidance and the organisation of practical demonstrations, exhibitions and seminars.

Establishing mutually beneficial links with groups and individuals working with earth buildings in the other parts of the Britain and abroad.

Collaborating with other networks to prepare and publish information manual covering all aspects of the construction, repair and maintenance of earth buildings including composite structures, daubs, renders and plasters.

Encouraging and supporting training in the field of earth building and associated skills.

Encouraging the revival of appropriate earth building techniques for new building construction and investigating the potential of the material for low energy buildings.

August 20, 2007

Mud: Building Block of the Future

At the vanguard of efforts to revolutionise the way we build our homes are scientists who are taking their cues from the methods of the past to make mud the building block of the future.

October 17, 2006

Rammed Chalk: Pines Calyx

The Pines Calyx conference and training centre, an environmentally-friendly building made of chalk extracted from the White Cliffs, at St Margaret’s Bay in Kent, is said to be one of Europe’s “most sustainable and healthy” structures. [ photo set | press ]

August 30, 2006

Centre for Alternative Technology

Commissioned by the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), structural engineer Toby Hodsdon of Buro Happold will build a 200-seat auditorium with rammed earth walls 7.2m high – the highest in the UK.

June 8, 2006March 17, 2026

Center for Alternative Technology

Work is about to begin on The Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE), a new complex intended to showcase the very latest thinking in environmentally-conscious building design at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), near Machynlleth in Wales. Among the innovative features of the building will be construction of rammed earth walls in the Institute’s lecture theatre. The 7.2m high rammed earth walls, which are load-bearing and made of excavated subsoil, exemplify this approach. The clay content of the soil means no additional binding material will have to be added. The walls are packed down in layers, using hand-held pneumatic compactors, between temporary formwork.

November 3, 2005

Rammed Earth: Design and Construction Guidelines

peter walker rammed earth.jpg

Rammed Earth: Design and Construction Guidelines by Peter Walker and BRE promotes the use of rammed earth wall construction in the UK as a high-quality and sustainable building technology. In one book it gives detailed practical guidance on architectural details, structural engineering recommendations, material selection, construction and maintenance of rammed earth.

October 19, 2005

Cobtun House

The Cobtun House, Worcestershire, built of mud, straw and corrugated iron, and designed by Associated Architects, has scooped this year’s Royal Institute of British Architects Sustainability Award.

October 12, 2005

Earthen architecture in Iran and Central Asia Conference

Earthen architecture in Iran and Central Asia: its conservation, management, and relevance to contemporary society, a celebration of the life and work of Robert Byron, will be held at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 12-13th November 2005. The aim of the conference is to bring together individuals involved in the conservation and management of the archaeological and architectural legacy of earthen architecture in Iran and Central Asia, to discuss current approaches, practical applications, new projects and the impact of work on local communities and contemporary society.