| The environmental awareness has not as yet taken
much effect apart from the pioneers who are prepared to live up to the
consequences. Mr. Mertens from Eschweiler, Germany, who is a producer of
dough mixers, applied his product for the mixing of a light straw-adobe
insulating material. He completed the house successfully with a double
‘fachwerk’ and floor with adobe and floor, wall heating, but commented
that it’s labor intensive and takes long to dry. So before this can be a
successful product, solutions have to be found to overcome this problem. |
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| The old
“fachwerkhaus” inspired Mertens’ House. |
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Fachwerk Barn reused as house
extension. |
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A pioneer in the Aachen region is the
architect/artist Andreas Dilthey. His house in Vetschau is exemplary for
the development of adobe building. Ceilings of floors and roof of the land
house were insolated with new developed adobe techniques with insulation
of thick reed-mats. Behind this house a barn is erected made up of an old
"Fachwerk" house, which will be build with walls of a light
straw-clay mixture. This shows the re-use of a wood frame, Fachwerk. Old skeletons where made to be easily taken apart like prefab
elements. |
| David Easton and his TERRA Group in
Napa, California, realized a showcase home with 24 inch earth/concrete
walls, that provide enough thermal mass to stabilize indoor air
temperatures in both summer and winter with little need for artificial
heating or cooling. The earth mixture is stabilized with an addition of
10% cement. This PISE, Pneumatically Impacted Stabilized Earth is a
product as seen in the house that substantiates the monolithic walls,
floors, and kitchen and washroom countertops. The house was declared by
PG&E a Showcase Home and a fine example of energy efficient building
technology. |
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| David Easton with his team. |
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Recycled door. |
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The recycling of building materials
may enhance a feeling of authenticity and is an application of ecological
ideas. Dan Plummer, who built himself a reputation on a nationwide
coverage in "This Old House" television series, has a talent in
finding the 'right' materials like this door. Such elements seem to
breathe their own life and are rich in texture. He also re-used floor
boards, ceiling rafters, Victorian trimmings etc. in the American
Chiropractic Center in San Francisco, that was written up in the San
Francisco Examiner. |
| Straw bale building does not have
the disadvantage of being labor intensive like the use of light
straw-adobe, nor the problem of drying slowly. With the adobe of the
scratch coat deeply penetrated in the straw a similar result is achieved
of a good insulation with fireproof finish. The application of layers of
plaster however demands a skilled craftsman such as the artist and
straw-bale-building pioneer Rob Kaptein. He realized various straw bale
projects successfully including the plastering with both adobe and lime
for which he makes his own mix. (For more, see Straw
bale site) |
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| Scratch coat of lime plaster on exterior
walls. |
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Preparing adobe plaster on site. |
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This picture (left) shows
the very beginning of earth plastering in recent years in the Netherlands.
Carl Giskes is mixing on site an adobe plaster with sand, clay and chopped
straw for the project ‘Art Meets Science and Spirituality’. From this
a whole industry developed of ready mixes of base coats and finish layers
in all sorts of earth colors. Also many plasterers turned to applying
these ecological and healthy materials on walls and ceilings either
ready-mixes or of their own make. In fact anybody can improve their home
or office spaces both for looks and interior conditioning. Giskes was the
first to introduce earth-building applications to the Netherlands but his
company ‘Leembouw Nederland’ delivers now all over Europe and many
others followed his example, reacting to the demand for a natural
interior. |
| With a growing awareness for health and ecology a
new trend is slowly developing in building, which can only mature if there
is a demand for its qualities. The general awareness however still has to
be awakened for the existence of health inducing ways to build of which we
named a view. Maybe this process will be speeded up once awareness sets in
about how unhealthy the ‘modern’ interior space is conditioned. But
little knowledge is as yet available of how it affects our health. Prof
Annelies van Bronswijk spells it out how building codes for insulation
cause an increase of allergies. This results in a negative effect for
energy conservation making health subordinate to environmental
regulations. |
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| Interior with adobe plaster, adobe brick
wall and wall, floor heating. |
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| In the end architecture is a language, which
needs to be redefined. But it must be stimulating for all the senses of
the human being creating a harmony of body and mind. The essence of good
architecture then is to improve the health condition for the individual
and the community within the environment and to increase the quality of
life. |
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