<div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Thank you so much for this link.</div><div><br></div><div>Its also very interesting to take a look at the Indian Arches, Vaults and Domes, developed by Auroville Earth Institute, in India. Their techniques and equipement are amazing!</div>
<div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.earth-auroville.com/vaulted_structures_introduction_en.php">http://www.earth-auroville.com/vaulted_structures_introduction_en.php</a></div><div><br></div><div>Regards</div><div><br>
</div><div>Jorge VK</div><div>Portugal</div><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 11:43 AM, valentina maini <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:vmaini@mac.com">vmaini@mac.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div style="word-wrap:break-word">Thank you Kim for the great Link!. And....is sad that here in Catalonia were the system is so traditional and present in buildings until XIX century...we are loosing the knowledge and skills among builders and architects....<div>
thank you again, valentina<br><div><br></div><div>
<br><div><div>El 20/09/2011, a las 01:04, kim thompson escribió:</div><div><div></div><div class="h5"><br><blockquote type="cite"><div style="word-wrap:break-word">Hi <div>Further to Bob's notes. My interest in catalan vaults was rekindled through various personal (indirect) connections to Peter Rich (Architect). Peter won the</div>
<div><span style="font-size:12px">World Building of the Year award for Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre in S. Africa. (<a href="http://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/news-detail.cfm?newsId=120" target="_blank">http://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/news-detail.cfm?newsId=120</a>)</span></div>
<div><span style="font-size:12px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12px">See also his work at: <a href="http://www.theearthawards.org/site/built-environment-win/" target="_blank">http://www.theearthawards.org/site/built-environment-win/</a></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size:12px">
<div>
<div>
<div><div style="float:right;min-height:30px;width:925px;text-align:right"></div></div>
<div style="width:925px;min-height:30px">I quote the web site for The Earth Awards:</div>
<div>"One of the biggest infrastructure challenges facing developing
countries is the need to build with local skills and materials. A
country cannot become self-sufficient if it relies on Western
construction techniques and imported talent and the budget is rarely
available.This challenge was taken up by architect Michael Ramage of Cambridge
University and engineering professor John Ochsendorf of Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. Working with South Africa-based architect
Peter Rich they have pioneered a solution for sustainable building in
the world’s poorest and remote areas.</div><div><br></div><div style="width:925px;min-height:57px;display:block">Sustainable Shells has been held up as a truly global revolution in
construction, winning it recognition as the finalist in the 2010 Earth
Awards’ Built Environment category.Sustainable Shells marries earth bricks with traditional tile
vaulting to enable the construction of strong and durable medium-sized
buildings. Versatile in its design, it provides a new opportunity for
communities to develop the skills needed to build their own schools,
clinics and homes.</div></div><div><div><div><p>Michael Ramage explains: “Sustainable Shells is about making a home
from the ground on which is it built. It is about giving a community
the skills and tools to construct their own buildings without the need
for costly imports. Most importantly, it gives people the confidence to
construct their own environments and be truly self-reliant”.</p><p>Peter Rich Architects and Ramage’s team have worked with tile press
manufacturers to pioneer the first stabilised-earth tiles for structural
vaulting, made from earth and a small quantity of cement. The vaulting
technique is centuries old. What is new about Sustainable Shells is
its combination of locally-made earth tiles with structural vaulting
(rather thanfired bricks) to maximise the energy savings and
effectiveness of construction.</p><p>Michael adds “The most effective sustainable design comes where
constraints drive innovation. We identified a challenge and have
addressed it with Sustainable Shells – a brand new way of building which
can radically reduce the energy consumed. This is exactly what The
Earth Awards is about: identifying new techniques which help people all
over the world to build a better tomorrow.” </p></div></div></div></div></span></div><div>kim</div><div><br><div><div>On 2011-09-19, at 4:47 PM, Bob Theis wrote:</div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div style="word-wrap:break-word">
<br><div><div>It's not really about bales, but some of us have been grousing for years now that our wall systems are quite green but our roof systems are business as usual. </div><div><br></div><div>Well, Kim Thompson reminded me of a technique I loved while living in the depths of NYC, but forgot about when I got to California. And I've been talking it up since, so I decided to save myself some effort by posting an introduction here. </div>
<div><br></div><div>Known variously as Catalan vaulting, timbrel vaulting, cohesive construction, or Guastavino vaulting, it's centuries old, had its heyday in the industrial world in the early 1900s, ( for the archinerds, Gaudi and McKim, Mead and White used it extensively ) and is so counterintuitive it still makes my head hurt. </div>
<div><br></div><div>It's used to form vaults and domes, and big ones, too. Using several layers of thin flat tiles, something like 6" x 12" x 3/4 - 1 " thick. Traditionally ceramic, but recently pressed soil cement has been used. </div>
<div><br></div><div>The first layer gets installed using a gypsum mortar, buttered at the edges and tapped into place without any falsework under it ( ! ) This is possible because gypsum sets so fast. After the first layer has been extended out a few feet, it is followed with at least two additional layers laid with cement lime mortar, typically in diagonal courses to avoid joint alignment between layers. Out into space it extends until you lock it all up at the apex. </div>
<div><br></div><div>Impressive enough, but the astounding part is how fiendishly strong the finished product is. The floor vaults created with it at places like the Boston Public Library ( McKim, Mead and White, architects) are incredibly flat, with a rise to span like 1:10. I wish I had a copy of the photo my architectural history professor showed, of a vault being demolished by a worker with a jackhammer standing on half a vault cantilevered out about 15 feet. </div>
<div><br></div><div>There's a revival of interest in the technique in academie, and MIT is one of its hotbeds. They've set up several good websites, and <span style="font-family:'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif"> is a good place to start. Professors there have advised on the design of recent buildings, including one in very rural South Africa, which has a good photo album at </span><span style="font-family:'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif;font-size:16px"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bellamyjk/BuildingInSouthAfrica#" target="_blank">http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bellamyjk/BuildingInSouthAfrica#</a> ( </span><span style="font-family:'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif">Thanks to Kim for the link</span><span style="font-family:'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif;font-size:16px"> ) </span></div>
<div><br></div><div>There are issues to address, of course, such as how best to insulate it, and whether it needs to be made more ductile for seismic regions. But it's handsome, fireproof, rot proof and not based on sticks; that seems like a good place to start. </div>
<div><br></div><div>Check it out. Tell Guastavino I sent you. </div><div><br></div><div>Bob </div></div></div>_______________________________________________<br>GSBN mailing list<br><a href="mailto:GSBN@sustainablesources.com" target="_blank">GSBN@sustainablesources.com</a><br>
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