XXI CONGRESO INTERNACIONAL SOBRE CONSTRUIR CON TIERRA

La Fundación Navapalos e Inter-Acciön (ONGD) organizan los días 23-24-25 de Noviembre de 2007, en el Museo Nacional de Antropología de la Calle Alfonso XII, 68, de Madrid el XXI CONGRESO INTERNACIONAL SOBRE “CONSTRUIR CON TIERRA”.

El Objetivo de la Fundación en este Congreso es reflejar los avances y cambios en los últimos años, experimentados, tanto personal como profesionalmente en el sector “Arquitectura de Tierra”, en España, en los países de la UE o en el resto del mundo (Íberoamérica, África etc.).
Desde un enfoque etnológico-antropológico y en defensa del Patrimonio Arquitectónico Popular y Monumental, y guiados por un espíritu socio-cultural hacia proyectos de Cooperación Internacional al Desarrollo, nuestro objetivo es el estudio y la investigación de la tierra como material de construcción y el desarrollo de cursos de Formación, que han ampliado considerablemente los ámbitos de nuestra intervención.

Vinculando hoy la tierra como material de construcción con los recursos naturales, el desarrollo sostenible y el ahorro energético en la vivienda contemporánea-bioclimática, se abren las puertas y caminos profesionales y empresariales en la innovación tecnológica, la fabricación mecanizada e industrializada ,sin embargo, sin alejarnos de nuestra preocupación por el entorno construido en tierra, su conservación y rehabilitación, en todas sus dimensiones y como soporte socio-cultural del paisaje rural y urbano.

Mas informacion:
Erhard Rohmer
Fundación Navapalos
Inter-Acción (ONGD)
e-mail: inter-accion@telefonica.net
e.rohmer@telefonica.net
Tel: 91 531 21 55 / 91 521 94 33

Dome Building Workshop

The Adobe Alliance will host a Dome Building Workshop November 1-4, 2007 in Presidio, Texas. Learn to build an adobe domed roof by hand under the instruction of maestra adobera Jesusita Jimenez, adobero Efren Rodriguez and Simone Swan, adobe designer-builder and founder of the Adobe Alliance. They will also demonstrate the construction of an adobe brick wall with keyed corners and how to mix and apply a sturdy, waterproof earth plaster enhanced with cactus juice. For more information visit the workshop webpage.

Earth Building Workshop

Jim Hallock, Monica Healy, and Jeff Rottler are pleased to invite you to participate in our impending earth building workshop given in conjunction with Joe Tibbets of Southwest Solar Adobe, and Lawrence Jetter of Advanced Earthen Construction Technologies. The workshop will take place November 9, 10, and 11, 2007 at the Best Western Shetland Inn, 3602 S.E. Military Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78223.

One Half

“It is estimated that at least 30 per cent of the world’s population, ,some 1.5 billion people, live in houses constructed of raw (unfired) earth”. 1

“Even today, it is estimated that between a third and a half of the world’s population lives in earthen dwellings.” 2

“40 % of the world population lives in earthen dwellings” 3

1.Earth building in Britain – international context and historical background, by R. Nother, with an introduction by L. Keefe. Earth Building, p. 7
2. Smith, Michael, The History of Cob, http://www.networkearth.org/naturalbuilding/history.html
3. http://www.earth-auroville.com/index.php

this does not take into account buildings that people work or worship in or buildings that are not occupied, such as dove cotes, grainaries, etc.

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.

Cob

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/survey_does_des.php

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/cob_building_go.php

LEHM 2008 – Call for Papers

The Dachverband Lehm e.V. is the German Association for Building with Earth. Every four years the DVL organises an international conference and trade fair on building with earth in a different earth building region in Germany together with an excursion in the region. After the conferences in 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2004, the LEHM 2008 is the 5th such event organised by the Dachverband Lehm e.V. Each of these events has attracted several thousand visitors. In addition to organising a high-profile conference programme, a central aspect is the presentation of new innovations in earth building products and technologies through a trade fair that takes place parallel to the conference. For more information visit the conference website.

Inno-native Earthen Architecture

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.”