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

FRANÇOIS COINTERAUX (1740-1830): PIONEER OF MODERN EARTHEN ARCHITECTURE

CALL FOR PAPERS
FRANÇOIS COINTERAUX (1740-1830), PIONEER OF MODERN EARTHEN ARCHITECTURE: Theory, Teaching and Dissemination of a Vernacular Technique, International Conference, Lyons, 10-12 May 2012

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.

RESTAPIA 2012: International Conference on Rammed Earth

RESTAPIA 2012 is an international congress on rammed earth, its conservation and, in general terms, on earthen constructive techniques and its conservation. It will take place on June 21st,22nd, 23rd 2012 at Valencia. This meeting aims to incentive sharing the restoration experiences of both monumental and non monumental architectural heritage made in the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of the world in order to learn from all these interventions and derive conclusions and perspectives for the future. Thus, it aims to represent an important milestone at international level in the reflection about the conservation and restoration of rammed earth architecture and earthen architecture in general.

The program of RESTAPIA 2012 includes keynote lectures given by international experts on the topic and the presentation of papers and posters during June 21st and 22nd 2012, and an added day of technical visits on June 23rd 2012.

VIII Congreso de Arquitectura en Tierra. Tradición e Innovación

El VIII Congreso Internacional de Arquitectura de Tierra tendrá lugar los días 24 y 25 de septiembre, en Cuenca de Campos, provincia de Valladolid. El día 23 el congreso comenzará en Valladolid. El 24 y el 25 habrá un autobús disponible para desplazarse de Valladolid a Cuenca de Campos.

Comité Organizador

– José Luis Sainz Guerra, Dr. Arquitecto, Profesor de la Universidad de Valladolid
– Félix Jové, Dr. Arquitecto, Profesor de la Universidad de Valladolid
– José Mª Sastre, Arquitecto Técnico, Coordinador Lista Arqui-Terra

Coordinación

– Raquel Martínez, Arquitecta, Universidad de Valladolid, España

Comité Científico

– Mª Soledad Camino, Dra. Arquitecto, Profesora de la Universidad de Valladolid, España.
– Miguel Camino Solórzano, Dr. Arquitecto, Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí, Manta, Ecuador.
– José Luis Sainz Guerra, Dr. Arquitecto, Profesor de la Universidad de Valladolid, España.
– Félix Jové, Dr. Arquitecto, Profesor de la Universidad de Valladolid, España.
– Humberto Varum, Dr. Ingeniero Civil, Universidad de Aveiro, Portugal.
– Leonardo Meraz, Dr. Arquitecto, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitanta de Xochimilco, Méjico.

PATROCINAN
Junta de Castilla y León
ARQUIA Caja de Arquitectos
Excma. Diputación Provincial de Valladolid

COLABORAN
Excmo. Ayuntamiento de Cuenca de Campos
Cátedra Juan de Villanueva. Escuela T.S. de Arquitectura de Valladolid
Catedra Unesco “Patrimonio, Restauración y Hábitat” de la Universidad de Valladolid
Vicerrectorado de Relaciones Institucionales. Universidad de Valladolid

[ Programa Provisional ]

Saint Bartholomew’s Chapel


Photography: ©Harrison Photography

Saint Bartholomew’s Chapel, designed by Kevin deFreitas Architects, was constructed to replace a very small and intimate historic chapel that was ravaged by wildfires in 2007. From that fire, only the original adobe bell tower survived, which became the anchor element in the redesign planning.


Photography: ©Harrison Photography
The new design was conceived to reverently knit together “past” and comfortable traditions, while acknowledging and offering something relevant to current and future generations. Thus, emulating or recreating the past literally was not a project goal. Drawing from a limitless well of Native American and Catholic symbols and metaphors, design elements in plan, section, and elevation were conceived to reference and infuse meaning into the chapel, such as the; rammed earth walls, radial walls, butterfly roof, and extensive use of locally sourced materials.

[ via: archdaily.com ]

Cinema Sil Plaz


Photography: Bruno Augsburger and Laura Egger

Over two decades ago, the last cinema closed in Ilanz, an Alpine town in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. To satisfy the locals’ cinephile needs, a group of people interested in film and culture formed the Filmclub Ilanz in 1989 and, after staging screenings in makeshift locations (including the town hall), they had a stroke of luck in 2004 in the shape of a 19th century former forge, which had just become vacant. After several years of screenings, they decided to revamp the space, with the help of fellow club members Capaul & Blumenthal Architects, to create a fully fledged cinema, which opened last September.

The ETH Zurich graduates have retained the raw character of the building, creating a cosy screening room and bar on a shoestring. Using local clay and a rammed earth construction method – a sustainable, low-tech building technique with sound-proofing benefits – the project was completed with the help of members of the Filmclub, who also conveniently included a rammed-earth specialist and a stonemason. Seating in the auditorium is padded by sheep-skin covered cushions stuffed by Filmclub members. Meanwhile, paint on the walls of the bar and stage area has been stripped back to reveal the original lime plasterwork of the building and floors are kept bare. The bar itself can be lifted by a manual forklift to make space for a dance floor when there are concerts – just one part of the Cinema Sil Plaz’s rich programme of events.

[via Wallpaper]