Summer School Building with Earth
To this day, raw earth appears in only a fraction of the projects built in Europe. As such, it is rarely included in the education of students in architecture. Yet, this material is integral to our vernacular architecture – even if this has been forgotten in (too) many regions. And more importantly, it presents a deeply ecological character: locally available, unfired, recyclable and reusable – not to mention its applicability in structures and its contribution to good physical properties for the building. As such, earth represents a crucial asset in construction and architecture, as we are looking to make them sustainable.
Hence this summer school’s objective: to give the opportunity to learn to build with earth the only way it works – with your own hands. More precisely, this 1-week program aims to offer a good opportunity to dive deeper into the world of earth construction, and experience for yourself various earth techniques that are commonplace in the present-day practice.
What is earth, as a material? What are its properties? How is it rooted into our vernacular architecture? What does contemporary architecture in raw earth look like? How do you assess the potential of a local earth? How do you use earth to build in rammed earth, blocks, and to make plasters?
We will answer these questions through a combination of lectures, visits and hands-on workshops, led by experienced tutors and practitioners.
Here you can find an impression of last year's edition.
This Summer School is organised by
-BC studies & BC materials
-ULB, Faculty of architecture La Cambre Horta ULB
In collaboration with :
- Amàco, Gian Franco Noriega & Basile Cloquet
- Acruma, Arianna Fabrizi De' Biani
- Degré47, Laurane Coornaert
PROGRAM
Introduction - General introduction to earth as a building material, through lectures, workshops (extended Carazas test + Grains de batisseurs) and a presentation of BC materials’ premises. Field tests of a natural earth mix to recognize its type and assess its possible uses in construction, through lecture and hands-on exercises. Basile Cloquet (Amaco) + Ken De Cooman (BC Studies)
Parallel training workshops - In addition to the technical training itself, each workshop day starts with a 1-hour lecture, including a Q&A session, covering the use of raw earth construction and architecture.
The rest of the day is dedicated to learning one specific earth technique :
Clay plaster: Arianna Fabrizi de' Biani (Acruma) + Anis Saoudi (BC Studies)
Earth bricks: Gian Franco Noriega (Amaco) + Jasper Van der Linden (BC Studies)
1:1 wall prototyping: Quentin Bourguignon (BC Studies) + Lauranne Coornaert (Degré47)
Project visits - Visits of relevant recent projects in Brussels that include geo-based (earthen) and bio-based materials.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Inscription starts from May 15th 2025
Inscription deadline, July 15th 2025
Price for the one week summer school will be
-standard ticket (€850 + vat)
-early bird (€750+vat) for May 15th until June 15th included
This price does include lunches.
It does not include dinner and accommodation, these will need to be arranged by the participants.
Cancellation until August 1st included: 100 % refund
Cancellation from August 1st: no refund
Soon after inscription, you will receive a document with FAQ.
At the end of the summer school you will receive
-a certificate of attendance
-an invoice
For questions: mail to thomas.vilquin@ulb.be with topic: Summer School question
With the support of
Erasmus+ program
Bruxelles Environnement
