Research
I am particularly interested in research into earthen building. Below is a list of forthcoming and recent conferences related to earthen architecture. Organisations with links to rammed earth building are also listed.
Conferences
The 5th Adobe Conference of the Adobe Association of the Southwest, AdobeUSA 2009, will take place May 15 and 16, 2009 in El Rito, New Mexico on the campus of co-sponsor Northern New Mexico College in Cutting Hall Auditorium.
Mediterra 2009 aims principally to state the art of research, to study recent achievements in heritage conservation and architectural design, to increase university and professional training and to gather the network activities developed in the Mediterranean region.
This 1st Conference will include specialists from throughout the Mediterranean region. It will also have a transdisciplinary contribution that will bridge natural sciences, social sciences, and professional practices. A new global challenge requires a broad definition of a new discipline, with earth architecture at the crossroads of the sciences. The Mediterranean Region, with its history of many cultures and civilizations, now emerges as the core of new political and societal challenges being shared among Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Themes
1. Earth-building cultures and traditional architecture
2. Archaeology, history and anthropology
3. Conservation of cultural heritage
4. Research about architecture, town planning and cultural landscape
5. Academic teaching and professional training
Organised by DVL, the German Association for building with earth, Lehm 2008 is both a trade fair and a conference.
10-11 November 2008.
The conference program is available here.
The International Conference, Kerpic '08: Learning from earthen architecture in climate-change will be held at the Cyprus International University, in Lefkosa - Northern Cyprus, on the 4th and 5th of September 2008.
The focus of the conference has evolved from quality of life in earthen architecture, environmental and health care, towards disaster prevention. We hope that it will bring together the related disciplines of architects and engineers, on material, construction, marketing and environmental science, to create database, technology watch and strategy.
The VII Seminário Ibero-Americano de Construção com Terra and the II Congresso de Arquitetura e Construção com Terra no Brasil takes place November 3-8, 2008 in São Luís, Maranhão, Brasil.
Organisations
International
Uni-Terra: Networking education in earthen building
An initiative by DVL, bringing together many academic institutions interested in research and education in earthen building.
Europe
Earthen Construction @ Durham University
The place at which I studied. The School of Engineering is world class, and research into soil mechanics there is outstanding. I made use of the excellent and novel soil testing facilities to better explain the fundamental behaviour of earthen structures.
University of Bath - BRE Centre in Innovative Construction Materials
Professor Peter Walker set up this centre in 2006, where research is carried out in a range of construction materials. A UK government funded project recently looked at the viability of rammed earth for UK housing, and currently Dr Andrew Heath is investigating unfired clay bricks as an lower carbon alternative to fired brick.
Nottingham University
Dr Matthew Hall is currently investigating the thermal properties of rammed earth with Dr David Allinson. Dr Hall has also looked at moisture ingress into earth walls and recently featured on BBC television building a rammed earth structure.
Plymouth University
Dr Linda Watson is looking at the conservation of Earth Buildings, specifically in the South West of England. In 2000 Plymouth hosted Terra 2000, an international conference on the conservation and preservation of earthen architecture.
CRATerre
Home of the UNSECO Chair for Earthen Architecture Research
Australasia
University of Technology Sydney
The earth building research forum was set up in 1999, and research at the University of Technology, Sydney is ongoing.
Asia
Auroville Earth Centre
Based at Auroshilpam in India, Auroville is the home to the UNESCO chair in Earthen Architecture, and is the BASIN network partner for South East Asia. Auroville hold courses in construction techniques and specialise in disaster resistant buildings.