Mud Brick and Earth Building the Chinese Way


Book Description

Written for and tested in Australian conditions. The Chinese are the world's greatest builders in earth, using it for everything from humble hen houses to the Great Wall. There are an estimated 90 million earth homes in China. Here are the various methods of earth building and Chinese techniques which will be of great interest to anyone planning on building in earth. MUD BRICKS can be laid in various ways to create very strong walls. One worker can make 500 bricks in a day using this simple Chinese system. RAMMED EARTH is favoured for barns and farm buildings. Three forms and their uses are explained. POLE MOULD WALLS are unknown in the West. A family can build a 12.5m long x 2.6 m high in a day. RAMMED BRICKS are ideal for areas of low rainfall as they need no water. CAVE HOMES and PIT DWELLINGS are also discussed, as are methods used to construct house frames and roof coverings.




Mud Brick Techniques


Book Description

This book replaces BASIC MUD BRICK. The new version is larger, more comprehensive, and has been especially written for Australian conditions. The author began experimenting with mud brick in 1950 and considers it to be one of the most versatile of building methods. All the techniques described in this book are taken from actual jobs. The aim has been to teach methods which can be used by the whole family so that everyone can help in creating a home from the simple elements around them.




Earth Architecture


Book Description

"The ground we walk on and grow crops in also just happens to be the most widely used building material on the planet. Civilizations throughout time have used it to create stable warm low-impact structures. The world's first skyscrapers were built of mud brick. Paul Revere Chairman Mao and Ronald Reagan all lived in earth houses at various points in their lives and several of the buildings housing Donald Judd's priceless collection at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa Texas are made of mud brick." "While the vast legacy of traditional and vernacular earthen construction has been widely discussed, little attention has been paid to the contemporary tradition of earth architecture. Author Ronald Rael founder of Eartharchitecture.org provides a history of building with earth in the modern era focusing particularly on projects constructed in the last few decades that use rammed earth mud brick compressed earth cob and several other interesting techniques. Earth Architecture presents a selection of more than 40 projects that exemplify new creative uses of the oldest building material on the planet."--BOOK JACKET.




The Hand-sculpted House


Book Description

Cob, a structural composite of earth, water, straw, clay, and sand, has been used for centuries, in virtually all parts of the world, to create homes ranging from mud huts in Africa to lavish adobe haciendas in Latin America. This practical and inspiring hands-on guide teaches anyone to build a cob dwelling.




The Burial Record of Prehistoric Liangshan in Southwest China


Book Description

This book proposes a new model and scheme of analysis for complex burial material and applies it to the prehistoric archaeological record of the Liangshan region in Southwest China that other archaeologists have commonly given a wide berth, regarding it as too patchy, too inhomogeneous, and overall too unwieldy to work with. The model treats burials as composite objects, considering the various elements separately in their respective life histories. The application of this approach to the rich and diverse archaeological record of the Liangshan region serves as a test of this new form of analysis. This volume thus pursues two main aims: to advance the understanding of the archaeology of the immediate study area which has been little examined, and to present and test a new scheme of analysis that can be applied to other bodies of material.




Atindex


Book Description




Architecture for the Poor


Book Description

Architecture for the Poor describes Hassan Fathy's plan for building the village of New Gourna, near Luxor, Egypt, without the use of more modern and expensive materials such as steel and concrete. Using mud bricks, the native technique that Fathy learned in Nubia, and such traditional Egyptian architectural designs as enclosed courtyards and vaulted roofing, Fathy worked with the villagers to tailor his designs to their needs. He taught them how to work with the bricks, supervised the erection of the buildings, and encouraged the revival of such ancient crafts as claustra (lattice designs in the mudwork) to adorn the buildings.




Martin Rauch: Refined Earth


Book Description

For over 25 years, Martin Rauch has been at the forefront of research and development in all aspects of rammed earthed construction. As proper design with earth can only come from truly understanding the material, he would now like to share his experience and knowledge of this construction material in a design manual. The publication goes beyond projects to focus on structural elements, such as the design and layout of floors, walls, ceilings and openings, which are clearly explained with detailed project information from structures previously realised by Martin Rauch. Various examples help to illustrate how to overcome structural engineering difficulties in earth construction and the design possibilities that result from these solutions. Essays about earth as a material and its particular aspects in the areas of building biology, building physics and construction permits complete this fundamental work. - Martin Rauch s experience of over 25 years of practical application in earth construction - From design details and craftsmanship to prefabrication and industrial production - A wide range of various solutions for specific design tasks using completed structures as examples"




6th International Conference on the Conservation of Earthen Architecture


Book Description

On October 14-19, 1990, the 6th International Conference on the Conservation of Earthen Architecture was held in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Sponsored by the GCI, the Museum of New Mexico State Monuments, ICCROM, CRATerre-EAG, and the National Park Service, under the aegis of US/ICOMOS, the event was organized to promote the exchange of ideas, techniques, and research findings on the conservation of earthen architecture. Presentations at the conference covered a diversity of subjects, including the historic traditions of earthen architecture, conservation and restoration, site preservation, studies in consolidation and seismic mitigation, and examinations of moisture problems, clay chemistry, and microstructures. In discussions that focused on the future, the application of modern technologies and materials to site conservation was urged, as was using scientific knowledge of existing structures in the creation of new, low-cost, earthen architecture housing.