Earth Building: History, Science and Conservation
Paul Jaquin is the author of the website, Historic Rammed Earth, which grew out of his PhD research at the University of Durham.
Smithsonian Announces 40 Things You Need To Know About The Next 40 Years
The #1 Thing you need to know about the next 40 years, according to the Smithsonian is: “Sophisticated Buildings Will Be Made Of Mud”
Sustainable Earth Architecture Workshop
Sustainable Earth Architecture Workshop, Feb. 18 to 27, 2011
WHAT
There will be an international workshop on Sustainable Earth Architecture in Subachoque, Colombia from the 18th to the 27th of February 2011 which will include construction of Mexican style vaults/domes (up to 18 feet), production of compressed earth blocks (using the CINVA RAM, which originated in Colombia), and the use of prefabricated bahareque which is being used in Colombia to construct housing. The workshop will feature a prototype of a house constructed using bahareque.
WHO
The workshop is being sponsored by Technotierra and will be led by architects/builders Ramon Aguirre and Lucia Garzon.
WHEN
The workshop will occur during two consecutive weekends: Feb. 18, 19, 20 and 25, 26, 27th from 9 in the morning till 6 p.m. For those traveling from outside Colombia a teaching tour will happen Feb. 21, 22, and 23rd. In total the hands-on portion of the workshop encompasses 6 days (48 hours of instruction).
COSTS
US$320.00 ($580.000 Colombian pesos)
The cost includes: workshop instructional content, accident insurance, construction materials, teaching team, tools, a certificate of completion, and transportation from Bogota to the worksite in Subachoque (38 kilometros from Bogota)
MORE INFORMATION
tallerarquitecturatierra@gmail.com
cell phone: 57 3102450630
I know Lucia Garzon. She is dedicated to promoting adobe construction that meets legal requirements (in Colombia those are the Normas ICONTEC) while emphasizing the use of natural local materials that are healthy and ecological, and utilize local labor. Lucia’s enthusiasm is contagious (and she speaks a mile a minute in Spanish!). I don’t know the other instructor Bovedero Maxiano Arq. Ramon Aguirre. It appears the primary focus is on use of CEB and bahareque in construction of walls and domes/vaults.
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TECNOTIERRA , entidad colombiana desea difundir este evento para el mes de febrero….se esta promoviendo un taller practico integral de arquitectura sostenible con tierra, el taller esta dirigido a todo tipo de publico interesado en aportar al habitar el planeta y construir su hábitat de una forma ecológica y respetuosa con la naturaleza, aminorando el gasto energético de los materiales…en esta experiencia realizaremos la transferencia tecnológica con tres sistemas constructivos.
El taller se programo dos fines de semana, 6 días y 48 horas de vivencia practica….durante el taller realizaremos practicas de las siguientes tecnicas:
1- BOVEDAS MEXICANAS, en el taller construiremos una boveda a escala real de 6 metros.
2 -PRODUCCION DE BTC, insumo indispensable para realizar las bóvedas, como también para los muros, la norma ICONTEC 5324 ya esta aprobada desde el 2005 y esta aceptado como material técnico constructivo, paralelo a ello realizaremos un aprestamiento sobre la selección de suelos para conocer el material y saber como estabilizarlo.
3- BAHAREQUE PREFABRICADO,durante los últimos meses hemos realizado un prototipo de una vivienda social con este sistema constructivo, en este ademas de las paredes realizadas, se construyo una cubierta semi-plana, con materiales naturales y todo el proyecto esta realizado con coordinación modular , racionalizando al máximo los recursos naturales y sistematicamente tenemos al detalle el costo de esta obra en Colombia, toda realizada con materiales locales naturales, sanos, ecológicos y con mano de obra local.
Como el taller es eminentemente PRACTICO, los participantes al salir de este taller al concluirlo estarán en condiciones de realizar una bóveda y saber como se planea y construye, desde su inicio hasta el final, incluyendo manejo de canales e impermeabilización, considerando la seguridad para la sismoresistencia. Así mismo podrán conocer las fortalezas y debilidades de un sistema constructivo como el bahareque prefabricado, se aprenderá como debe ser revestido y cuales son las mezclas de pañetes con cal, todos los participantes conocerán los suelos y se acercaran a la producción de los BTC o Bloques de tierra comprimida o ecológicos con la maquina CINVA RAM.
La duración del taller será durante dos fines de semana consecutivos , esto con el fin de conocer los procedimientos completos y permitir secar los morteros, inicia el viernes 18 sábado 19 y domingo 20 desde las 9 de la mañana hasta las 6 de la tarde, este fin de semana, con una hora para el almuerzo, En esta experiencia conoceremos las bases de cada técnica, y el siguiente fin de semana viernes 25, sábado 26 y domingo 27 de FEBRERO, estaremos dejando concluida la bóveda de la casa, es una obra real y podremos apreciarla integralmente, por ello se planeo en dos fines de semana para visualizar la continuidad del sistema.
El valor del taller en pesos colombianos es de $580.000 el equivalente a 320 dólares.
Este valor incluye, la transferencia del conocimiento, seguro de accidentes, materiales de construcción, equipo de trabajo, herramientas, certificado y transporte local, desde Bogota hasta la obra en SUBACHOQUE (38 Kms de Bogotá/ Dpto. Cundinamarca/ COLOMBIA).
Esta dirigido por el Bovedero Maxiano Arq. Ramon Aguirre, y estará presente un maestro especialista en Bóvedas. lacoordinación será realizada por la Arq. Lucia E. Garzón, en la alianza profesional de dos expertos de la red PROTERRA, entidad que respalda este taller.
Para los de fuera de Bogotá y/o extranjeros interesados en aprovechar la semana se ofrece realizar una salida tematica para conocer obras de tierra patrimoniales y contemporaáneas, por ello ofrecemos adicionalmente un TOUR DIDACTICO durante la semana (21, 22 y 23 de febrero).. solo esperamos que nos cuente si le interesa, es optativo y tiene un costo adicional (en el visitaremos obras de construcción con tierra en Bogota, Tunja, VIlla de Leyva y Raquira).
Para mayor información pueden escribirnos y desde allí se les entregara mayor ilustración con la preinscripción en el correo electrónico: tallerarquitecturatierra@gmail.com,esperamos nos demuestre su intéres y les haremos llegar todo el contenido del proyecto, el cupo es limitado…
Como sabemos que cada uno de ustedes tiene su red de conocidos, que les puede interesar el tema les pedimos el favor de colectivizar esta infprmación y esperamos que cada vez seamos mas profesionales y personas interesadas y con herramientas para hacer una arquitectura mas respetuosa con el medio ambiente…..
Atte
Comite organizador y Arq. LUCIA E. GARZON
Coordinadora
Celular 57 3102450630
Sra Pou Vocational School
The Sra Pou Vocational School, located in Cambodia and designed by the Finnish architecture firm, Rudanko + Kankkunen, utilizes sun dried mud bricks made from the local red earth. Bricks were laid with a hole pattern in the walls to pull in more daylight as well as encourage natural ventilation through the space. Bright and colorful handmade shutters can be opened or closed to block out the sun, but also make the center cheery and welcoming. A large covered porch creates an outdoor community room, while the interior holds workshops, storage space and bathrooms.
The purpose of the vocational training centre is to encourage and teach poor families to earn their own living. The Sra Pou community is one of the unprivileged communities in Cambodia, who have been evicted from their homes in the city to the surrounding countryside. They lack basic infrastructure, decent built environment and secure income. The new vocational school provides professional training and helps the people to start sustainable businesses together. It is also a place for public gathering and democratic decision-making for the whole community.
Color is used on doors and shutters to give the building a strong presence by creating a rhythm across its facade. In the Vocational School these woven pieces also paint the light in various colors as it enters the workshop and classroom.
Habitat Cabo Delgado
Habitat Cabo Delgado, constructed in Mozambique by Ziegert | Roswag | Seiler Architekten Ingenieure and the Aga Khan Foundation, was founded for the purpose of create more permanent housing solutions using local, natural building materials. Local construction methods were developed and improved upon in ways tailored to local craftsmens’ abilities; thus supporting the local construction culture and reinforcing village identity.
In the first phase of the project, eleven multipurpose learning centres were built to showcase the new construction methods. To facilitate the implementation and dissemination of these techniques, a total of forty local apprentices were trained in ecological building methods – skills they could later use to support themselves financially. As models of low-cost, high-quality, sustainable construction, the learning centres were designed to inspire others to imitate the new style.
The traditional “wattle and daub” technique has been replaced with an earth-block construction method. The new buildings’ rammed-earth and earth-block foundations are stabilised with 10% cement and covered with a moisture barrier to protect them from rain and rising damp. The earth blocks used to construct the walls are stabilised through the addition of straw.
An easy-to-produce triple-layered bamboo beam has been developed for use in roof constructions; the beam is used for nearly all parts of the roof such as ring beams, purlins and triangle trusses. The prefabricated trusses have a span of 6m, enabling the construction of open-plan multipurpose buildings. The bamboo is treated with borax, a natural salt, in order to prevent damage by termites or other insects. Several different traditional palm-leaf roofing techniques are used to construct the roofs. Because locally-available resources like earth, bamboo and leaves are used as building materials, each school displays the colours of its region.
The 3rd Earth Building UK (EBUK) Conference
EBUK, the Earth Building UK Conference, will be held January 13th 2012 with the focus on the use of earth and clay plasters.
The use of earth and clay plasters has increased in recent years, with interest groups concerned with the conservation of historic buildings, ecologically sensitive new construction, alongside a growing interest from industry in innovative materials.
Earth and clay plasters and mortars, along with green bricks plasters and mortars are currently the most product oriented areas of the earth building family. Although many of the commercial products in this field are imported from Europe, there are a growing number of product suppliers and manufacturers in the UK. The European-wide acceptance of training standards for earth plaster which was achieved in 2011 mean there is opportunity now for a growth in the sector.
The third EBUK conference explores these issues, from user, developer and supplier. Space will be available for display of materials and products.
Conference Location: The Ron Cooke Hub at the University of York, Heslington, York. YO10 5GE.
Conference fee: The conference fee for EBUK members is £42.00. This includes refreshments and lunch. If you are not already an EBUK member the conference fee is £63.00 (this includes a full year’s membership of EBUK). For more information visit: http://www.ebuk.uk.com/index.php/?page_id=227
The Mountain
The Mountain, a film written by Fathy Ghanem, tells the story of building the village of New Gourna by architect Hassan Fathy. Filmed in the village of New Gourna itself in 1965, it is incredibly important from an architectural perspective, however, Hassan Fathy never mentioned the film in any of his writings or speeches. More information at www.hassanfathy.webs.com
Centre for Earth Architecture
The Centre for Earth Architecture, designed by Francis Kere Architecture, is located Mopti, Mali. The centre is divided into three different buildings which are connected by two roof surfaces.
All the walls and the barrel vaults are constructed of compressed earth blocks that comfortable indoor temperatures.
Earth USA 2012 Announces Schedule
The schedule of speakers at EARTH USA 2012 has been announced here.
FRANÇOIS COINTERAUX (1740-1830): PIONEER OF MODERN EARTHEN ARCHITECTURE
Organized by the Laboratoire de Recherche Historique Rhône-Alpes (LARHRA, UMR-CNRS 5190) and the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art
From 1785 onwards, the builder and master mason François Cointeraux actively promoted a construction technique of vernacular origin, known as pisé de terre (or ‘rammed earth’), which was at that time confined to southeast France. His cahiers or fascicules from the Ecole d’architecture rurale (School of Rural Architecture), published in Paris in 1790-91, were rapidly translated into seven languages (German, Russian, Danish, English, Finnish, Italian and Portuguese). They attracted the attention of major architects such as Henry Holland (1745-1806) in England, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) in America, David Gilly (1748-1808) in Germany and Nicolaï L’vov (1751-1803) in Russia, founder of a flourishing school of earthen architecture in Tiukhili near Moscow, based on Cointeraux’s school of the Colisée in Paris. Through his publications, Cointeraux generated an almost universal interest for this material, as cheap as it was abundant, and encouraged its adaptation to rural or residential architecture.
This success can largely be explained by a desire to revive rural architecture, which was in perfect harmony with both the physiocrats’ line of thought and the actions of agricultural societies. However, Cointeraux never managed to popularise its use widely and lastingly in France. His numerous publications did not achieve their expected uptake with the institutions concerned. He is nonetheless representative of a culture of invention and innovation, highly characteristic of the first industrial revolution and the birth of modern architecture. The aim of the conference is to present a synthesis of the extensive research carried out on François Cointeraux over the course of the last twenty years and to re-situate his work in the wider context of the evolution of ideas and techniques.
Organization
Laurent Baridon, Université Lyon II, LARHRA (UMR 5190), Louis Cellauro, LARHRA, Jean-Philippe Garric, INHA / AUSSER, Gilbert Richaud, LARHRA Advisory board: Hubert Guillaud, Énsa de Grenoble / CRA-Terre, Miles Lewis, Faculty of Architecture, Melbourne University, Claude Mignot, Paris-IV / Centre André Chastel, Liliane Pérez-Hilaire, Centre d’Histoire des Techniques et de l’Environnement du CNAM, Antoine Picon, Harvard School of Design, LATTS
Submission procedures
Proposals (title, abstract of maximum one page, short CV) should be sent to the organizers at the following address: cointeraux.2012@orange.fr Or: Laurent Baridon, LARHRA, Institut des Sciences de l’Homme, 14 avenue Berthelot, F-69363 Lyon Cedex 07, France
The deadline for submissions is July 31, 2011. Results of the selection will be communicated to the authors one month later. The proceedings of the conference will be published in 2013.