IN THIS ISSUE
Intro
Articles
Regular Column: Getting the Dirt On …
Timely News and Events
Welcome to the Bridge Issue of EarthUSA News
Welcome!
Welcome to this “bridge” issue of EarthUSA News.
This electronic newsletter on earth building in the United States and beyond was conceived more than three years ago with the mission of engaging those interested and involved in earthen construction; preserving and promoting its cultural, economic, environmental, historical, and social aspects; and being a source of both timely news and institutional knowledge. It has also acted as a bridge between the biannual Earth USA conference as well as an outlet to those involved in complimentary fields and the general public. Hopefully, you have found it of interest and value.
That said, this is a special issue: a “bridge” issue between regular issues. In it, you will find timely information on two upcoming earthen architecture conferences — Terra 2022 and Earth USA 2022 — taking place next year in New Mexico. For example, you will see that Earth USA 2022’s call for abstracts has just opened and those interested in presenting a paper or poster at the upcoming conference should submit the abstract soon.
Also in this issue, we highlight two recent episodes of Mud Talks, a podcast devoted to adobe and earthen construction and produced by Adobe in Action. In the latest episode, Kurt Gardella interviews Mike Lopach who is leading up Scottsdale, Arizona’s innovative Brick by Brick program. In this program, Mike and his team have been working with individuals who are experiencing homelessness and are manufacturing compressed earth blocks for capital projects and, hopefully in near future, tiny homes. The episode prior to that is part 1 of a two part series on plumbing and electricity in adobe construction. Here, Quentin Wilson focuses on important planning and logistical issues to keep in mind.
We also have learned and are sharing that the Adobe Brick Mailing List, started in 1999, has been relaunched. This is an online forum for owner-builders and others worldwide to exchange ideas, techniques, inspiration and support in the field of earth building. Check it out!
While we are not including EarthUSA’s regular column, “Getting the Dirt on …” in this issue, we are soliciting your ideas about whom you would like to see interviewed. Since the inception of EarthUSA News, “Getting the Dirt on …”, has highlighted an individual who has made their mark in the field of earth building. Past interviewees have included adoberos, academics, brick manufactures, and supporters to the field. Please send us your suggestions of possible interviewees and we will reach out to them and, hopefully, learn more about their experiences and contributions in this field.
As usual, we have included a few upcoming online and in-person activities and events. If you know of other timely events or news please send them our way and we will be sure to let the earth building community know about them.
Finally, we are planning an exciting next issue, but need your help! The next issue of Earth USA News will focus on earthen architecture, construction, and preservation — including its cultural, historical, and social effects outside the Southwest United States. Many individuals are simply not aware of the numerous past and current earthen structures and activities in the United States beyond this geographical area. We very much welcome your suggestions and contributions to this upcoming issue.
It should be noted that, as this bridge issue is published, the worldwide coronavirus pandemic continues to present us with uncertainty, trials, and challenges. We at EarthUSA News hope that you, your families, friends, and communities are well and we hold dear all who have been affected. Please be safe and take care.
Contributions, comments, and questions can be sent to editor@adobeinaction.org.
Mark Zaineddin editor, EarthUSA News
This Just In … Earth USA 2022: Call for Abstracts!
Online abstracts will be considered through February 11th, 2022.
With Earth USA 2022 scheduled for September 23rd - 25th, 2022 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the conference organizing team has officially opened a call for abstracts. The window to submit abstracts will close on Friday, February 11th, 2022.
Those interested in presenting a paper or poster at Earth USA 2022 should submit an abstract prior to the February deadline. Abstracts can be submitted at:
https://form.jotform.com/212593963411356
Paper Subject Categories include:
Historic buildings and cities including their stabilization, preservation, modernization and repurposing.
New architecture, construction projects and construction methods.
Education and information transfer including codes, norms and regulations.
Physical and thermal properties of materials and structures including seismic, flood and storm resistance and passive solar heating and cooling of earthen buildings.
Social and cultural elements fostered by earthen building practices and traditions.
Commercial presentations including architects, designers, contractors and product manufacturers.
At the conference, presenters will have 20 minutes for presentation including time to answer questions. Time limits will be carefully monitored.
Key Earth USA 2022 Dates and Deadlines:
Friday, February 11th, 2022: Call for abstracts ends and online abstract submission form closes.
Friday, April 8th, 2022: Notification of speaker acceptance.
Monday, May 2nd, 2022: Online conference registration opens.
Friday, June 10th, 2022: Full papers due.
Friday, September 23rd - 25th, 2022: Earth USA 2022 Conference
Questions regarding Earth USA 2022 or abstract submission can be directed to the Earth USA 2022 organizing team.
An Update: Terra 2022 and Earth USA 2022 Conferences
Two previously postponed earthen architecture conferences plan to convene in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2022
Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and its uncertainties, challenges, and repercussions, two important earthen architecture conferences, Terra 202: the 13th World Congress on the Study and Conservation of Earthen Architectural Heritage and Earth USA 2022: the 11th International Conference on Architecture & Construction with Earthen Materials are stated to take place in Santa Fe, NM, in 2022. Both of these conferences were previously postponed.
Both conferences are among the most important worldwide conferences in the field of earthen architecture and in addition to podium presentations and poster sessions they generally also include pre and/or post-conferences activities such as workshops and tours. Organizers of both conferences will continue to update details in the coming months.
Terra 2022 will convene June 7th - 10th, 2022. Since 1972, Terra has been organized under the auspices of the International Committee on Earthen Architectural Heritage (ICEAH) of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and has been held in a different venue around the world. This will be 13th Terra Conference and the second time to have been taken place in New Mexico.
Themes include: Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico; archeological sites; historic buildings and structures; urban settings; cultural landscapes and routes; advances in research; history of conservation; education and advocacy; risk and vulnerability; and care by and for communities.
In addition to the conference, organizers are offering a series of monthly virtual lead-up events. Each month, earthen architectural specialists from around the world will share their work and, in the course of this series, will highlight the diversity, vastness, and significance of earthen architecture and the impact that its has and continues to make. More information on the Terra 2022’s virtual lead-up events can be found at www.terra2022.org/website/8033/virtual-events/.
Group photograph of Earth USA 2019 attendees
Earth USA 2022 is planned for September 23rd 25th, 2022, at the Scottish Rite Center's Alhambra Theater in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Conference organizer, Adobe in Action, has noted that alternate locations in New Mexico as well as a live/online hybrid event are also being considered depending on how the pandemic develops over the next six months.
Earth USA is normally held every two years and is among the largest — if not the largest regularly-held earth building conferences in the United States. It will be of interest to academicians, architects, practitioners, those involved in various aspects of public policy, as well as the general public.
This conference will include diverse podium presentations and poster sessions which feature adobe, rammed earth, compressed earth block (CEB), and monolithic adobe (cob). A Friday evening speaker meet and greet presentation, open to all attendees and sponsored by The Earth Builders’ Guild, will also occur.
A featured event will be the awarding of the Second Fred Webster Earthbuilding Engineering Prize. This prize is given to a student for their work in innovative design or engineering solutions in new construction or a preservation project. The inaugural prize was won by Professors Jun Mu, Tiegang Zhou, and Wei Jiang, all of the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, China.
For more information on Terra 2022, please visit www.terra2022.org. For more details on Earth USA 2022 as well as proceedings of past Earth USA conferences, please see www.earthusa.org.
Please Note: Given the Covid-19 pandemic and ever-changing circumstances, it is important to regularly visit the Terra 2022 and Earth USA 2022 conference websites and/or subscribe to their mailing lists for periodic updates.
Getting the Dirt on … Suggestions for Upcoming Interviews
In each issue of EarthUSA News, we feature an individual in the field of earth building. Previous interviewees have included adobero practitioners, academics, brick manufacturers, and supporters of the field.
If there is someone you think would be wonderful for us to interview, or about whom you would like to know more, please let us know by emailing the editor of EarthUSA News at editor@adobeinaction.org.
Timely News and Events
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
Please find below upcoming activities and events. While seeking to promote earth building activities and events, EarthUSA News cannot vet or verify all activities and events, or the entities that are organizing them. As always, please contact the entity with any questions or concerns that you may have.
Upcoming 2021 Adobe in Action Online Earth Building Courses
In spite of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, Adobe in Action’s activities have continued uninterrupted due to the online delivery format that the organization has been using since 2012. Adobe in Action's final online class of 2021 is:
Floors for Adobe Structures (November 8th - December 19th, 2021)
This course covers the fundamentals of installing common floor types used in adobe structures in New Mexico. The class will focus on high-mass floors which work well in passive solar adobe structures. There will be a special emphasis on earthen floors.More information about these classes and how to register can be found at www.adobeinaction.org/event-calender/.
Adobe in Action’s full eight course Certificate in Adobe Construction program will be launching again in early 2022. More information on the courses, registration, and the full certificate program can be found at www.adobeinaction.org/certificate-classes/.
Adobe in Action is a New Mexico-based 501c3 non-profit organization which supports owner builders with the planning and construction of adobe homes; promotes adobe home building and ownership through education and student-based field support; produces Mud Talks, a podcast dedicated to earthen construction; and organizes Earth USA, the largest biannual conference on earth building in the United States.
Mudtalks! A Podcast Dedicated to All Things Earth Building
Mud Talks #13: An Interview with Mike Lopach, Brick by Brick, City of Scottsdale, AZ
Mud Talks #12: Plumbing and Electricity in Adobe Owner Builder Construction
Mud Talks – created by Adobe in Action (AinA), a non-profit organization based in New Mexico – is a worthwhile and highly informative podcast devoted to adobe and earthen construction.
In Mud Talks #13, Kurt Gardella, the Executive Director of Adobe in Action, interviews Mike Lopach, its former director. Kurt specifically discusses Mike’s current efforts with the city of Scottsdale, Arizona, and its Brick by Brick program. Mike and his team are working with individuals experiencing homelessness to make compressed earth blocks (CEBs), utilizing a manual press for capital projects, and, hopefully in the future, tiny homes. In the interview, Mike discusses why he and the city initiated this program; some of the key differences between compressed earth block and adobe brick fabrication; and the intricacies of compressed earth block manufacturing.
If you missed Mud Talks #12, check it out. Mud Talks #12 is the first of two episodes about the topics of plumbing and electricity in adobe construction. In this episode, Quentin Wilson focuses on important planning and logistics questions. Part two, in an upcoming episode, will feature a conversation with Ethan Novikoff. Ethan recently competed an adobe home. As an owner builder, he will talk about his experience with in the areas of plumbing and electricity and offer some worthwhile advice on what you can realistically do yourself and where to look for assistance when needed.
Note: All past Mud Talks episodes can be found directly on Adobe in Action's website at https://www.adobeinaction.org/mud-talks, through Adobe in Action's Spreaker page at https://www.spreaker.com/show/mud-talks as well as most other podcast hosting services.
A Relaunch of The Adobe Brick Mailing List
An online discussion group for adobe and other earthen construction discussions and encouragement is relaunched
In 1999, Quentin Wilson, interim Adobe in Action President and director emeritus of Northern New Mexico College’s Adobe Construction program, created the Adobe Mud Brick Mailing List as a forum for owner-builders and others worldwide to exchange ideas, techniques, inspiration and support in the field of earth building.
This forum has recently been relaunched at groups.io/g/adobe.
The forum encourages owner-builders, professional, architects, students, and others to engage in critical discussions and to be a place of support. As stated on the site, “This group was founded on the idea that plain, simple adobe as used over the millennia works well in the modern world and needs no improvement, just encouragement. We are friendly toward rammed earth, compressed earth blocks, monolithic earth walls (cob), wattle and daub (jacan and fuerte), low-fired bricks (quemados), 3D earth printing and any other system that uses clay as the main binder. Existing buildings are as interesting to us as new construction.”
We encourage you to check it out.
Call for Contributions to EarthUSA News
Next issue to focus on earth building architecture and construction beyond the Southwest, United States
EarthUSA News very much welcomes your contributions. EarthUSA News promotes earth building architecture and construction as well as its cultural, economic, environmental, historical, and social aspects. The target audience of EarthUSA News is not only those directly and indirectly involved in the field but also the general public.
The next issue of EarthUSA News plans to focus on earth building architecture and constriction beyond the Southwest, United States. Many do not realize that earthen architecture and past and present activities around it can be found well beyond the Southwest. We would love your contributions or ideas.
Submissions can include articles, photoessays, timely news, book reviews, and upcoming events or activities. They should be clearly and concisely written. We reserve the right to edit, postpone, or reject submissions based on relevancy or other matters. We regret that at this point we cannot pay for such submissions. For more information on contributing, please do not hesitate to contact the editor at editor@adobeinaction.org.
