Architecture, Art, Design, and Culture using of mud, clay, soil, dirt & dust.
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 ]
photo by Marcial Blondet
On Wednesday evening an 8.0 earthquake struck central Peru, devastating the Ica region of the Andean country. The official death toll from this unfolding disaster currently stands at 502 [as of 16 Aug — Ed.]; around four hundred of these were residents of Pisco, a city of over 100,000 near the epicenter of the main quake. Pisco is reported to have lost 80 percent of its homes.
Peru’s La Republic reported that Palomino had cautioned and warned homeowners not to rebuild their homes on their own despite the fact that they may have no other choice after so much neglect. Despite this, citizens in Pisco, Peru are informally building adobe houses as a way of recovering after the earthquake.
Dr. Marcial Blondet, a professor of at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Peru, an expert on seismic design for earthen buildings has written Earthquake-Resistant Construction of Adobe Buildings: A Tutorial as well as a number of important text on the performance of mud brick in earthquake zones, particularly in Peru. More resources about earthen architecture in seismic zones and the Peru earthquake can be found at the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute website.
Uruguayan architect Andrés Nogués documents the design and construction of a unique log/mud brick house, la Casa de Adobes en La Juanita (above), as well as providing thoughtful essays on the subject of earthen architecture and links to various earth related sites on his blog, Arquitectura de Tierra en Uruguay. [Spanish Language website]
ARQUITECTURA Y CONSTRUCCIÓN EN TIERRA CRUDA
22 al 27 de Enero. Comunidad Ecológica de Peñalolén, Santiago, Chile.
ORGANIZA: Oficina de Arquitectura y Construcción, Marcelo Cortés y Patricio Arias.
PATROCINA: Comité de Tecnología del Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile.
PRESENTACIÓN
El Encuentro Nacional de Arquitectura y Construcción en Tierra Cruda, nace con la idea de reunir en un mismo espacio, tanto a profesionales de la construcción con tierra cruda, como a personas provenientes de distintas disciplinas, interesadas en aprender y compartir experiencias, sobre las técnicas y posibilidades que entrega este material, en el campo de la construcción.
El objetivo del encuentro, es profundizar sobre las nuevas tecnologías constructivas empleadas actualmente en la construcción en tierra – las cuales se gestan a partir de reinterpretaciones de las técnicas tradicionales-, a la vez que abrir un diálogo sobre las ventajas que posibilita este material, como sobre las problemáticas que enfrentan en nuestro país, las construcciones patrimoniales construidas en tierra cruda.
[ descarga afiche ] Continue reading “Seminario y Workshop: Arquitectura y Construcción en Tierra Cruda”
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 International Congress on Earth-Based Architecture will be held in Barichara, Colombia, South America October 3 – 8, 2006. The event is hosted by the Fundación Tierra Viva. For more information download the conference brief (pdf format) or email: tierraviva@telecom.com.co
A traditional charcoal furnace in Chile is constructed by making a 300cm diameter and 120 cm deep hole in the ground and methodically filled with a heap of hewn thorn wood. This heap is covered with clay and straw and pounded with a short stick to form a homogenous clay mound. A series of regular perforations in the perimeter form flues to regulate the rate at which the fire burns. When the furnace has cooled, the charcoal is removed and the dome, bake hard and self supporting is empty – ready for the next batch of wood. La Casa del Carbonero, or the Charcoal burner’s hut, (1999) by Chilean architect Smiljan Radic, attempts to literally “unearth” the original domes dotted across the coastal region.
Oikos EcoArquitetura is a Brazilian organization dedicated to conservation, restoration, dissemination and technical consultation of low energy projects in raw earth. Oikos also continues to curate a discussion group with more than 200 participants interested in the subject of raw earth in architecture. Portuguese language web site.
ConstruTierra 2006 will be held in Bogotá, Tunja y Villa de Leyva, Colombia February 20 to 25, 2006 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Este Boletín de la Unidad Regional de Estudios y Gestión del Hábitat, quiere ser un lugar de encuentro entre todos los que estamos diseñando y construyendo Arquitecturas de Tierra. Vamos a dialogar con las casas de tierra que hoy se construyen en la región. Queremos pensar juntos en las posibilidades futuras de la tierra, reflexionar sobre ese patrimonio intangible del cual nos queda poco y evaluar este presente de la construcción con tierra.
