14 February 2014 ~ Norwich, England

Training in Earth Building: From Design to Construction

Earth Building in the UK is developing, with a number of new build projects and the conservation of our rich heritage of earthen construction. Practitioners are developing skills and methods for the design of earth buildings, the construction of new earth buildings, and the conservation of historic earth buildings.

Earth building UK are hosting their 2014 conference in Norwich Cathedral on 14th February. This will showcase design, construction, conservation and research in the UK. Our theme is Training in Earth Building.

EBUK aims to develop earth building in the UK, to do this we require education and training in earth building. This requires training in the structural and thermal design of earth buildings, in safe and reliable construction methods and in the appropriate use of earth as a building material.

The conference will be followed by tours to earth buildings in East Anglia, kindly given by Eartha.

Keynote speaker

Mr John Hurd – President ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Earthen Architectural Heritage

Following a B.Sc. in the Geology of Clays, Bristol (1969), John studied a two-year Conservation Science diploma and a following ‘objects’ conservation higher National diploma at Lincoln. From 1989 -1998, John was a partner at Lincoln Conservation Studio. In 1998 John formed Hurd Conservation International, an International field consultancy with architectural and archaeological projects, planning and training across Asia for several International agencies; he was a senior conservation consultant to UNESCO, division of Cultural Heritage, on the Silk Roads cities of Central Asia.

Confirmed speakers:

Sarah Roberts – Eartha
The work of Eartha

Anthony Kaye – Vice-President, Association la Voute Nubienne (AVN)
Training and support of masons in earth-brick vault construction

Linda Watson, David Clark and Sarah John – Plymouth University School of Architecture
Earthen Architecture: Education and Training in South West England

Sarah Partridge – Orchard Barn
Natural Building – that doesn’t cost the earth

Alex Gibbons – Aprovecho Education Centre, Cottage Grove, OR, USA; La Petite Fenetre Homestead, Normandy, France
‘Ways into Cob’: A young person’s perspective of ways into practical education in Earthen Building.

Joanna Forsyth – Independent Consultant
Journey to the centre of the Centre of the Earth- Educating the Core

Sally Mareike – Centre for Alternative Technology
A study of the effects of fine hemp shiv and cow dung additives on the thermal performance and vapour permeability of clay plasters.

Location and Booking

The 2014 EBUK conference is in the Weston Room at Norwich Cathedral on 14th February.

Norwich is in the heart of the East Anglian earth building region, and the conference will be followed by tours to earth buildings in East Anglia, kindly hosted by Eartha.

For further information and to register see the event homepage!

Contact: conference@ebuk.uk.com

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