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TerraBrasil 2010 – A Call for Abstracts

The third annual Brazilian Congress on Architecture and Earth Building, also known as TerraBrasil 2010, will take place in the city of Campo Grande, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), Brazil from August 31st to the September 3rd, 2010. The Congress is being organized by the Structural and Civil Engineering Department (DEC/CCET) of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, in partnership with the TerraBrasil Network (Rede TerraBrasil).

ABSTRACTS
Abstracts are being accepted and should be emailed to terrabrasil.art@gmail.com , up until March 10th, 2010, according to the abstract format available for download at www.terrabrasil2010.wordpress.com

THEMES
Scientific papers will be accept in any branch of knowledge linked with the theme “Architecture and Construction with Earth”, and will be classified under the following areas:

1. Building Materials and Techniques
Contributions and improvements to the state of art, materials` specification, new techniques development, equipments, standardization for codes and performance – structural, durability, suitability,and comfort.

2. History, Conservation, and Heritage
Reviews, discussion, and contributions on conservation theories, revival techniques, rehabilitations, and new materials` adaptations to the codes.

3. Contemporary Architecture
Discussions on new challenge — productivity, building details, costs, materials` interface, adaptations, and appropriateness.

4. Education, Formation, and Qualification
Discussions and contributions on the practices, experiences and models of technology transference, databases, and curriculum.

5. Sustainability
Holistic approach of sustainability and its multiple dimensions — environmental, social, cultural, economic, and political. Discussions and constributions on the life-cycle analysis, including social and economic, empowerment, community cooperation, and Chagas` disease.

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Earthquake Proofing Traditional Peruvian Houses

Since 1970, Peru has been hit by five powerful and deadly earthquakes. The latest struck Peru’s coast exactly two years ago with a magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter scale. It fiercely shook the capital Lima, but its devastating epicentre was about 200km (124 miles) to the south, near the town of Pisco, a small fishing port built largely of adobe – mud bricks which Peruvians have used for thousands of years. For Peruvian engineer Marcial Blondet, it was the devastating quake in 1970 that first motivated him to develop earthquake-resistant buildings, particularly for those who could least afford them. Mr Blondet and his team found a solution in an industrial plastic mesh used by mining companies to hold back earth on slopes. It is strong, cheap and easy to use. Securely enveloping a normal mud-brick home in the mesh can prevent the walls from collapsing in an earthquake. The building wobbles but it does not fall down.

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Casa Entre Muros: A House Between Walls

The Casa Entre Muros, built in Tumbaco, Quito, Ecuador and designed by al bordE Arquitectos (David Barragán and Pascual Gangotena), was generated from the starting point: “There is always another way of doing things and another way for living”. Far from the pollution of the city, the house is set in the hillside of the Ilaló volcano in a indomitable land. It’s limited by two streams opened to the landscape of the valley. A cut in the sloping land helps to generate a platform for the project and also to get enough raw material to build the massive party walls.

The waving form as a result of this cut in the land, defines the position and order of every wall. The succession of rammed earth walls and the different heights of the roof caused the division of the house even for the activity or the user. To avoid the domino effect, the party walls break their parallelism solving the structure and strengthening the character of each space within. A long corridor is used as an element that isolates the project from their immediate neighbours and reinforces the autonomy of every space.

This architecture aims to highlight the nature of the material elements that compose it, promoting the aesthetic, formal, functional and structural qualities as well as the maximum respect of the environment.

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Tecnobarro and Quincha Metálica

Usualmente, cuando se habla de construcción con tierra cruda, se piensa inmediatamente en la construcción con “adobe”, sin embargo ambos términos no son sinónimos: el adobe es una de las tantas técnicas de construcción con tierra. Entre algunas de ellas destacan las tradicionales y más utilizadas en nuestro país, como lo son el tapial y la quincha, y otras técnicas mixtas nuevas, como el denominado tecnobarro y la quincha metálica.

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Proyecto Hornero

Proyecto Hornero es un grupo interdisciplinario que aborda la construcción con materiales naturales y el manejo sustentable de energía. Surgió en mayo del 2002 como iniciativa de un grupo de estudiantes de Agronomía y Arquitectura de la Universidad de la República (UdelaR), respondiendo a la situación generada por el tornado que destruyó infraestructuras de la zona granjera del sur de Uruguay. [ Blog ]

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Earth Architecture and Wine

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.


National Wine Centre


Vineyard Residence


Residence at Meteor Vineyards


Bodega en Los Robles


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 ]

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The Peru Earthquake


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.

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Earth Architecture in Uruguay

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]