Earth USA 2024 - Fred Webster Prize

Introduction

The earthbuilding community lost Dr. Fred Webster on October 11, 2015. Dr. Webster gave presentations at several Earth USA conferences (2015, 2013 & 2011). He helped write the New Mexico Earthen Buildings Code and was hard at work at current revisions to the code when he passed. He was an active member of The Earthbuilders' Guild. In fact, at a meeting at Cornerstones just prior to the Earth USA 2015 conference, Fred was patched in to the meeting via Skype. Even though he was limited in movement, he was there and actively participated. It was just a few weeks later that he passed. A full In Memoriam text (written by Bill Druc) can be found on the US/ICOMOS website.

Announcing the 2024 Prize

The Earth USA Conference (in partnership with Pat Taylor, Bill Druc and Jim Hallock) is offering the 3rd Fred Webster Earthbuilding Engineering Prize as a tribute to Fred and his work in the earthbuilding field.

The 1st Fred Webster Prize was presented at the Earth USA 2019 conference and was awarded to:

LOCALIZATION RESEARCH AND PRACTICE IN EARTH ARCHITECTURE IN CHINA
Authors: Jun Mu, Tiegang Zhou, Wei Jiang
Institutional Affiliation: Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, China

The 2nd Fred Webster Prize was presented at the Earth USA 2022 conference and was awarded to:

FLOOD-RESILIENT EARTHEN CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY: WHEN EARTH MEETS FABRIC
Author: Scarlett Lee (United Kingdom)
Institutional Affiliation: The University of Edinburgh, UK

The target group for the prize is engineering and architecture students worldwide who are working on innovative design and engineering solutions for new construction as well as preservation projects in the earthbuilding field. Inspiration for possible research and project topics for the prize can be taken directly from Fred's own research:

SOME THOUGHTS ON "ADOBE CODES" (PDF)

The Award and How to Apply

The initial award amount for the 2024 prize has been set at $750 (thanks to a generous seed donation by Pat Taylor). The application for the prize is integrated into our normal online call for abstracts form. The 2024 prize winner will be announced at the Earth USA 2024 conference. The winner will receive a podium slot to present the winning project.

Please contact us if you have questions or need more information about the 2024 Fred Webster Earthbuilding Engineering Prize.