Earth building techniques such as earth bricks, cobb, rammed earth, and wattle & daub are among the oldest building methods known to mankind and are still of great importance in today’s highly technologised building industry. Due to its potential for life-cycle construction and its positive effect on interior room climate, earthen materials offer considerable advantages to architects and clients. In the seminar we will learn the theoretical and practical basics for the application of earth building materials using different techniques. As part of a cooperation with Gropius Bau and artist Kerstin Brätsch, we will explore potential applications for these construction techniques in the context of a planned intervention in Gropius Bau in Spring 2025 in the form of large-scale prototypes and mock-up finishes 

Earth building techniques such as earth bricks, cobb, rammed earth, and wattle & daub are among the oldest building methods known to mankind and are still of great importance in today's highly technologised building industry. Due to its potential for life-cycle construction and its positive effect on interior room climate, earth building must be given a higher status in architectural education. In the seminar, the theoretical and practical basics for the application of earth building techniques will be explored and illustrated using a series of reference projects with a focus on the European context. The seminar outcomes will serve as preparation for a future exhibition and publication.

As part of the exhibition YOYI! Care, Repair, Heal in Gropius Bau, 30 students from Natural Building Lab realised the Bee Hive - an 8m diameter dome, constructed from bamboo and earth - as a setting to exhibit films from artist Tabita Rezaire. The exhibition features perspectives from 25 artists on the entangled themes of care, repair and healing. Tabita’s works - including Singing Bee Garden (2021) - focus on how local, scientific and spiritual knowledge is handed down through generations and the installation should invite visitors to “rest within the womb of the earth”.