Summer School "Building with Earth"

To this day, raw earth appears in only a fraction of the projects built in Europe. As such, it rarely makes part of 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.

The summer school provides a unique opportunity to experiment with different earth techniques, learning from professionals in the field; rammed earth, wattle & daub, blocks: (adobes, compressed earth blocks, vibro-compacted earth blocks, masonry), cob and earth plasters!! This is the first time that we offer a summer school exploring the vast range of techniques and possibilities of with earth. We will start the week with a hands-on introduction to earth and site visits to local (BE) earthen buildings. On top of that, each day will start with a 1-hour lecture (plus Q&A) with renowned experts, covering the use of raw earth construction and architecture.

Some of the expert tutors include Arnaud Evrard, Belgian civil engineer and architect who worked with Martin Rauch for 6 years and Arianna Fabrizi, who is active in the industry running earth plaster business.

Details:

Application deadline - June 18th 

Who can apply - 3rd year Bachelor students, Master students, young professionals and PhD

Language - The summer school will be held entirely in English, but all tutors are also fluent in French and/or Dutch, if it can help non-native speakers.

Participants - Registration is limited to 48 participants.

Cost - student: 435 € / young professional: 485 €

Registration - Link to form

For full summer school details, tutors, schedule and contact details: see here