Nubian Vault Workshop – Presidio, TX
In October of 2009 I attended a Nubian vault-building workshop held by Simone Swan’s Adobe Alliance in the Big Bend country of West Texas. I have been following Adobe Alliance’s activities for many years but this is the first time I have had the opportunity to participate in one of their workshops. The Nubian technique of vault building allows the builder to create an earthen roof without the use of any type of form. The vault, a series of mud-brick catenary arches, literally goes up in mid air. Simone studied with Hassan Fathy and is the authority on adobe dome and vault construction in the USA. For those looking for more info on woodless adobe vault and dome construction I recommend reading Hassan Fathy’s “Architecture for the Poor”. Please see the pictures below for a visual overview of the workshop.
Rammed Earth Project – Volkenroda, Germany
In late August of 2009 I visited a monastery in Volkenroda, Germany where I observed and assisted with a rammed earth project. The structure will eventually become the living quarters of some of the brothers. The rammed earth technique was typical for Germany – first a two-story post and beam structure is built followed by rammed earth infill in the wall cavities. All of the earthen materials were supplied by Lehmbau Thilo Schneider and were of local origin. The company spent a day showing the brothers the rammed earth technique and then they were left on their own to complete the work. For more info on the potential of the rammed earth technique I highly recommend reading “Earth Architecture” and “Rick Joy: Desert Works”.
See the captions below each picture for more details on the construction process.
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