Architecture, Art, Design, and Culture using of mud, clay, soil, dirt & dust.
The Adobe Repository for Buddha Statue was designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates in 2001-2002 in Toyoura-Gun, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is designed to accommodate and exhibit the wood carved statue of Timber Amida (Amidabha) Tathabata. The periphery walls of the site are constructed in hanchiku, or rammed earth, Kuma decided to further utilize this technique in the architecture by using what appears to be compressed earth block, even though it is called out as adobe (mud brick).
“Mixing and applying mud plaster to adobe brick is more than a skill; it’s a tangible reconnection to the land – and the past.” Read about the restoration of the Casa de Estudillo, a historic landmark in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
Many wineries and residences among vineyards employ earth in the construction of buildings. Often, the same earth to grow grapes is ideal for use as a building material.
Margan Tasting Room and Restaurant
The list goes on and on: [ Fetzer Winery Administration Building | Moorooduc Estate | Texas Hills Vineyard | Adinfern Estate | Wing Canyon Vineyard | Home Hill Winery ]
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.
French archaeologists have discovered an 11,000-year-old work of art in northern Syria which is the oldest known wall painting, even though it looks like a work by a modernist. Rectangles dominate the ancient painting, which formed part of an adobe circular wall of a large mud brick house with a wooden roof. The dating makes the designs at least 1500 years older than wall paintings at Çatalhöyük, the famous 9500-year-old Turkish village, among one of the first towns.
Paul Revere Mud Brick
http://www.paulreverehouse.org/contact/
Joe Osae-Addo, a Ghanaian-born architect, living in Los Angeles was determined to build with the materials found primarily in rural areas of his native country: timber and mud brick. Because mud brick doesn’t exist in cities in Ghana, Addo had to build his own during the construction of his own home. He coined a phrase for his approach to contextual modern architecture: “inno-native.”
The book, Historic Adobes of Los Angeles County
According to this essay, the oldest mud brick structure in the world is the ceremonial enclosure of Khasekhemwy–Hierakonpolis.
Is there evidence of older buildings? What are they?
According to Wikipedia, “The earliest use of mudbricks was in the Near East during the Pre-pottery Neolithic B period,” which is between ca. 9600 and ca. 8000 BP
Is this the oldest? If not, how long has mud brick been in use?
Start a discussion in the comments section below.
The Adobe Alliance, a Texas based non-profit organization whose aims include to apply cooperative building techniques in earth architecture is seeking a resident intern to work in Santa Fe, New Mexico or from a distance. Responsibilities will include research, image scanning, simple bookkeeping, assisting with workshop organization, website maintenance, and telephone management. The ideal person is a graduate student in architecture, art/art history, public policy or related fields. To learn more, please contact Ms. Simone Swan at simoneswan@gmail.com or visit www.adobealliance.org
