Earth Architecture Research Articles

The Earth Refrigerators as Earth Architecture

This paper is presented an application of earth refrigerator to energy conservation. In this research, Earth refrigerators of Yazd are selected as earth architecture because about 440 BC, Persian peoples had already domination the technique of saving energy in the summer middle in the Iran desert. These structures have a large earth brick dome and height of 65 feet. The earth refrigerators are above of ground because they needs to community to Qanat and wind catcher in desert area. The earth refrigerators area is over of 5750 in Iran desert. Qanat is a water management system used to provide a valid supply of water to human settlements and for irrigation in hot, dry and semi-dry climates. The earth refrigerators of Iran desert are included thick walls. The walls are included special mortar called Sarooj. The Sarooj is involved clay, egg white, goat hair, sand and different special materials in special values. The Sarooj can resist to energy transfer. The Earth refrigerators are a complex technology. The Earth refrigerators would be valuable for energy conservation.

Earth Architecture: The Famous Buildings Based on Iranian Architecture in Iran

Earthen buildings come in a vast variety of shapes and sizes, made from materials like fired clay, compressed dirt and a mixture of clay, sand, straw and water. People have been using various forms of earth to build structures for centuries. From underground green homes to other futuristic green houses. This paper is included 6 diverse examples of structures made from earthen materials in Iran that used Iranian architecture in their works. The buildings are included special mortar called Sarooj in their construction. The result has shown the earthen buildings create safer, more people-friendly buildings. The earthen buildings are very low in embodied energy, and extremely comfortable to live in. With captivating discussion, Earth Architecture showcases the beauty and simplicity of one of humankind's most evolved and sophisticated building technologies in Iran and the world.

The Important Role of Chogha Zanbil in Earth Architecture Based on Material, Structural and Architectural Aspects

Earthen buildings come in a vast variety of shapes and sizes, made from materials like fired clay, compressed dirt and a mixture of clay, sand, straw and water. People have been using various forms of earth to build structures for centuries. The aim of this paper is to find better knowledge about Chogha Zanbil as an earth architecture based on material, structural and architectural conditions. Earth architecture includes vernacular and historical architecture drawn from many cultures and periods in different countries. Chogha Zanbil’s materials are included mud bricks and walls that are earth building’s elements. The result has shown mud bricks as good materials can be develop in new buildings and applications.

The Important Role of Chogha Zanbil in Earth Architecture Based on Material, Structural and Architectural Aspects

Earthen buildings come in a vast variety of shapes and sizes, made from materials like fired clay, compressed dirt and a mixture of clay, sand, straw and water. People have been using various forms of earth to build structures for centuries. The aim of this paper is to find better knowledge about Chogha Zanbil as an earth architecture based on material, structural and architectural conditions. Earth architecture includes vernacular and historical architecture drawn from many cultures and periods in different countries. Chogha Zanbil’s materials are included mud bricks and walls that are earth building’s elements. The result has shown mud bricks as good materials can be develop in new buildings and applications.

Modern Rammed Earth in Earth Architecture

Rammed earth is a technique for building walls using the raw materials of earth, chalk, lime and gravel. Rammed earth is a structural wall system built of natural mineral soils compacted in thin layers within sturdy formwork. People have been using various forms of earth to build structures for centuries. The ancient „rammed earth‟ building technique has been used in Neolithic architecture sites and modern buildings alike. From underground green homes to other futuristic green houses. Modern architecture is a new architectural style that emerged in many countries in the decade after World War I. It was based on the “rational” use of modern materials, the principles of functionalist planning, and the rejection of historical precedent and ornament. This paper is included many examples of structures made from rammed earth using modern architecture. The result has shown the earthen buildings create safer, more people-friendly buildings. The earthen buildings are very low in embodied energy, and extremely comfortable to live in based on modern architecture.

Modern Rammed Earth in Earth Architecture

Rammed earth is a technique for building walls using the raw materials of earth, chalk, lime and gravel. Rammed earth is a structural wall system built of natural mineral soils compacted in thin layers within sturdy formwork. People have been using various forms of earth to build structures for centuries. The ancient „rammed earth‟ building technique has been used in Neolithic architecture sites and modern buildings alike. From underground green homes to other futuristic green houses. Modern architecture is a new architectural style that emerged in many countries in the decade after World War I. It was based on the “rational” use of modern materials, the principles of functionalist planning, and the rejection of historical precedent and ornament. This paper is included many examples of structures made from rammed earth using modern architecture. The result has shown the earthen buildings create safer, more people-friendly buildings. The earthen buildings are very low in embodied energy, and extremely comfortable to live in based on modern architecture.

Earth Architecture: The Famous Buildings Based on Iranian Architecture in Iran

Earthen buildings come in a vast variety of shapes and sizes, made from materials like fired clay, compressed dirt and a mixture of clay, sand, straw and water. People have been using various forms of earth to build structures for centuries. From underground green homes to other futuristic green houses. This paper is included 6 diverse examples of structures made from earthen materials in Iran that used Iranian architecture in their works. The buildings are included special mortar called Sarooj in their construction. The result has shown the earthen buildings create safer, more people-friendly buildings. The earthen buildings are very low in embodied energy, and extremely comfortable to live in. With captivating discussion, Earth Architecture showcases the beauty and simplicity of one of humankind's most evolved and sophisticated building technologies in Iran and the world.

Hill development by Earth architecture

The aim of this paper is to find better knowledge for earth architecture’s applications as a sustainable architecture. Earth architecture is a research devoted to the architectural uses in shaping the environment of human kind related to human ecology. Earth architecture includes vernacular and historical architecture drawn from many cultures and periods in different countries. Hills to make artificial mounts or bermed enclosures seems to have been one of the nearest styles of creating architectural that propose the ideas and concerns of builders. The paper discusses on the earth architecture based on few case studies in some countries. Key words: Mud architecture, hill, mount, sustainable, vernacular, Earth architecture.

Reinventing Traditional Technologies for Sustainability: Contemporary Earth Architecture of Sri Lanka

Abstract In the search for sustainability, Sri Lanka like most countries has been looking at modern and new materials and technologies as much as at the indigenous practices. Despite having possess...

Investigating the intelligence of the low-tech earth architecture of the Sahara: A feasibility study from the western desert of Egypt

Traditional building techniques such as earth construction have withstood the test of time. Its effectiveness and intelligence in responding to the socio-cultural and climatic context of many regions across the world have been well demonstrated. This article is concerned with the technical and social factors that led to the decline of this intelligent-architecture approach in the Sahara desert. The article investigates the potential and constraints of reintroducing earth construction architecture in four of the six western desert oases as case studies. These oases form the New Valley Governorate of Egypt: Baharia, Farafra, Al-Dakhla and Al-Kharja. Two field studies were undertaken. The first took place during a research trip that included Cairo, Giza, the four oases and Luxor, while the second was conducted in Al-Dakhla only. The results suggest a strong possibility for reusing earth architecture in the four oases from the environmental point of view. However, a number of limitations were identified—durability, buildability and the attractiveness of the mud architecture to the locals. Validation of the results and addressing those constraints are the focus of future work to assess the thermal performance of vernacular and modern case studies in the oases under investigation.

Contemporary earthen architecture in Mexico

The purpose of this study is to put forward an appraisal of current remarkable works of earthen
 architecture in Mexico, where raw earth architecture, particularly in adobe, has been built since
 ancient times, but has nevertheless, been substituted by industrial materials that bring poor
 living conditions for the inhabitants both in urban as in rural areas. Recently, rather than
 vernacular architecture built by its users, it is within architectonic design that a kind of revival
 has been taking place over the past two decades. This new language is being written both with
 adobe as with rammed earth building techniques. Interesting to point out is that current
 technology on raw earth is based upon an exchange of information between traditional
 workmanship and building methods, which over generations have manifested themselves in
 acquired knowledge and skill, plus the contribution that architects bring with technology and
 design which enable them to improve living conditions and durability. As prior methodology, the
 results of this paper are based upon interviews made to the designers, builders and users of the
 works exposed, in the observation of the properties of raw earth construction and in consulting
 any available written references about the works. Though still on a low scale, it is encouraging
 to note that both private as well as public investors are beginning to be convinced of the
 benefits earthen architecture represents in terms of energy saving, as costs are reduced in a
 considerable way, not to mention the environmental damage that diminishes considerably when
 industrial materials are substituted by natural ones. This article is based upon a conference
 dictated at the Conference Mediterra, hold at Cagliari on March of this year. L’objectiu d’aquest estudi és destacar la importància d’algunes obres destacables d’arquitectura realitzades a la terra de Mèxic. On, tot i que l’arquitectura a la terra, particularment l’adob, ha estat construïda des de temps ancestrals, en èpoques recents s’han introduït, tant a les àrees rurals com urbanes, materials industrialitzats que han empobrit les condicions de vida dels seus habitants. Recentment, el disseny amb adob ha ressorgit no en l’àmbit de l’arquitectura vernacular, sinó en el del disseny arquitectònic contemporani. Aquest nou llenguatge està essent escrit usant tant l’adob com la terra compactada. És important destacar que l’actual tecnologia de terra crua està basada en l’intercanvi d’informació i coneixement entre els artesans tradicionals i els mètodes de construcció contemporanis, on els arquitectes han contribuït a la millora de les condicions de vida i la durabilitat dels edificis. La metodologia està basada en entrevistes realitzades als dissenyadors, constructors i usuaris de les obres analitzades, així com en l’observació de les propietats de les matèries primes de construcció i en les fonts bibliogràfiques. És important destacar que, encara que de manera modesta, tant els inversors públics com privats comencen a convèncer-se dels beneficis de l’arquitectura amb terra en termes d’estalvi energètic, ja que els costs es redueixen considerablement, per no mencionar la reducció del mal ambiental que es redueix de forma significativa quan els materials industrials són substituïts per altres naturals. El objetivo de este estudio es poner de relieve la importancia de algunas obras destacables de arquitectura realizadas en tierra en México. En donde, a pesar de que la arquitectura en tierra, particularmente en adobe, ha sido construida desde tiempos ancestrales, en épocas recientes se han introducido, tanto en áreas rurales como urbanas, materiales industrializados que han empobrecido las condiciones de vida de sus habitantes. Recientemente el diseño en adobe ha resurgido no en el ámbito de la arquitectura vernácula, sino en el del diseño arquitectónico contemporáneo. Este nuevo lenguaje está siendo escrito usando tanto adobe como tierra apisonada. Es importante destacar que la actual tecnología de tierra cruda está basada en el intercambio de información y conocimiento entre los artesanos tradicionales y los métodos de construcción contemporáneos, en donde los arquitectos han contribuido en la mejora de las condiciones de vida y la durabilidad de los edificios. La metodología está basada en entrevistas realizadas a los diseñadores, constructores y usuarios de las obras analizadas, así como en la observación de las propiedades de las materias primas de construcción y en las fuentes bibliográficas. Es importante destacar que, aunque de manera modesta, tanto los inversores públicos como privados empiezan a convencerse de los beneficios de la arquitectura en tierra en términos de ahorro energético, por cuanto los costes se reducen considerablemente, por no mencionar la reducción del daño ambiental que se reduce de manera significativa cuando los materiales industriales son sustituidos por otros naturales. Tierra apisonada Diseño

Earth Architecture: From Ancient to Modern by William N. Morgan

Earth Architecture: From Ancient to Modern by William N. Morgan

Artifacts from a Parallel Universe: Tentative Architecture of Other Earth_Coastline Inhabitants

Artifacts from a Parallel Universe: Tentative Architecture of Other Earth_Coastline Inhabitants

Cultural Chronology of Earthworks in Palau, Western Micronesia

ABSTRACT Earth architecture is ubiquitous on Palau's volcanic islands, yet by European contact the often massive interior structures lay unoccupied and were conspicuously absent from the archipelago's rich body of oral traditions. To place these structural remains into Palau's cultural sequence, a suite of 131 radiocarbon dates representing 31 interior earthwork sites is combined with paleoenvironmental and material culture data. The resulting chronological model indicates that substantial interior use was underway by ca. 3100 BP with the initiation of earthwork construction by ca. 2400 BP or a little earlier. This marks the beginning of the Earthwork Era, which is divided into Early, Middle, and Late Phases corresponding to the growth, zenith, and decline of interior earthwork occupation. Between ca. 2050 and 1750 BP extensive clusters of modified terrain, each defining a sociopolitical district, contained earth structures reaching monumental proportions. This is centuries before monumental architecture appeared in most other Pacific island societies. By ca. 1200 BP, earthwork districts were no longer the cultural focal point, although minor construction of inland earthworks continued into the historic period.

Earth architecture

Earth architecture

Des maisons en terre médiévales sur un îlot du quartier Saint-Mathieu, à Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales). Premiers éléments de réflexion

The study of a complete block of buildings, in the Saint-Mathieu suburb on the outskirts of the medieval city of Perpignan, offered one of the first opportunities to gather information on earth architecture in the XIIIth century. The patrimonial interest of medieval suburbs, already revealed a little earlier by an emergency archaeological operation in the Saint-Jacques district, lies in the excellent preservation of their medieval land parcels and of their XIIIth and XIVth century architecture. Houses, some of which are preserved to the top of the roof, offer the particularity of being exclusively built in raw earth. They delivered major information concerning the implementation of pisé, mainly represented and already well-known in the suburbs of the cities of the region, and also of bauge. This district fills a documentary vacuum on a still little-documented technique.

Superfícies policromadas em terra

architecture is a fragile construction in the beginning of its life. The resistance and good behaviour of earth constructions get better with time, when maintenance of structures is constantly implemented and a reality every year. The cycle construction/conservation is an obligation for earth architecture; without it, it would not be possible for us today to appreciate cultural heritage which is over 5000 years old. On the world wide panorama the earth architectonic surfaces play an important role – the protection of earth walls. The renewal of earth renders and plasters gives a better resistance against decay and durability to the earth architecture. architectonic surfaces, as surface coatings decorated or smooth finished, coloured or non coloured, apart from their function as wall protection finishes, play a decorative architectural role, full of unique magical symbols, codes and beauty. The aim of the present paper, presented at the international conference Colours 2008 as Earth colours finishes in earthen architecture, is to show, in summary, some earth decorative techniques, their multiple significances and symbols, colours, forms and its actuality in Africa, South America and Asia.

Earth architecture: from ancient to modern

From ancient forts in New Zealand to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Earth Architecture ranges widely across the globe, covering more than 6,000 years of human history.William Morgan, a practicing architect and published author, has created an invaluable compendium of environments shaped by the manipulation of one of the most fundamental building blocks available: earth. This splendidly illustrated volume contains intricate, detailed descriptions of more than fifty sites, written in non-technical language that will appeal to a broad range of readers.Mounds, shaped hills, and terraces are only a few of the categories of structures. Morgan systematically examines as he surveys everything from semi-subterranean dwellings to large-scale engineering projects. His exhaustive look encompasses a 4,200 B.C. settlement in the Negev and a contemporary performing arts pavilion in California. In addition to the unknown master builders and engineers from ancient times, architects including Le Corbusier, Frank Gehry, and Frank Lloyd Wright all make an appearance in these pages.Morgan's focus on the architectural uses of earth in shaping societies and communities suggests implications for contemporary architecture, and the sites discussed offer numerous precedents for sustainable design, energy conservation, and environmental enhancement.

Earth mortars and earth-lime renders

As superficies arquitectonicas em terra desempenham um papel decorativo, para alem da funcao meramente protectora dos paramentos. Na arquitectura vernacula portuguesa, as argamassas em terra eram tradicionalmente usadas na elevacao de paredes em alvenaria de pedra, enquanto os rebocos em terra eram aplicados nas paredes interiores. A pedra calcaria existe apenas em algumas zonas do pais e consequentemente a cal nao estava disponivel, especialmente nas regioes de xisto e granito onde a alvenaria em pedra era uma tecnica corrente. Na regiao centro litoral de Portugal, o procedimento para extinguir a cal consistia na mistura de terra arenosa com cal aerea viva, posteriormente regada e usada como argamassa e reboco. Este era tambem o procedimento para estabilizar as terras usadas na producao de adobes. Os edificios construidos em adobe eram posteriormente rebocados com argamassas em cal e terra e decorados com argamassas de cal em pasta e areia muitas vezes com acabamento colorido em barramento de cal. A ornamentacao do tipo classico na arquitectura em terra dos seculos XVIII e XIX foi em muitos paises influenciada pelo manual de Francois Cointeraux (1740-1830) - Les Cahiers d'Architecture Rurale (1793), um guiao frances para a construcao e arquitectura em terra. Este manual chegou a Portugal no inicio do seculo XIX, mas nunca foi traduzido para a lingua portuguesa. Referencias a decoracao para as casas construidas em terra sao devidamente explicadas neste manual, assim como os procedimentos para a aplicacao de argamassas em terra e cal na ornamentacao das paredes em terra. De facto essas indicacoes sao coincidentes com as que encontramos na arquitectura de adobe em Portugal na regiao do centro. O objectivo deste artigo e mostrar alguns casos de argamassas e rebocos em terra existentes na arquitectura vernacula elevada em alvenaria de pedra e explicar os metodos usados na producao de argamassas em terra e cal, assim como exemplos de rebocos existentes na arquitectura vernacula de adobe em Portugal.

Szemelvények a vályog- és földépítés történetéből

Earth architecture can be found all over the world. There are lots of beautiful examples of it everywhere. This paper demonstrates the history of earth architecture and development of building construction. When reviewing the ten thousand years of the evolution of earth architecture, we can find not only residential buildings but cultic buildings, churches and castles as well. During centuries, various technologies existed and developed simultaneously, which resulted the diversity we can find today. Applying up-to-date architectural devices, buildings of favourable characteristic in terms of construction biology can be built with as low embodied energy as in the 21st century. However, in Hungary, people do not consider adobe as a good and durable building material. Subject of this research is to analyse adobe as a material of load-bearing structures, and to prove that it should have a future in the architecture in Hungary.