Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ronald Rael
Princeton Architectural Press | New York
Published by
Princeton Architectural Press
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2009 Princeton Architectural Press
All rights reserved
Printed and bound in China
12 11 10 09 4 3 2 1 First edition
No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner without written permission from the
publisher, except in the context of reviews.
Every reasonable attempt has been made to identify
owners of copyright. Errors or omissions will be
corrected in subsequent editions.
Editors: Linda Lee and Dorothy Ball
Acquisitions Editor: Clare Jacobson
Designer: Paul Wagner
Special thanks to: Nettie Aljian, Sara Bader,
Nicola Bednarek, Janet Behning, Becca Casbon,
Penny (Yuen Pik) Chu, Russell Fernandez,
Pete Fitzpatrick, Wendy Fuller, Jan Haux,
Clare Jacobson, Aileen Kwun, Nancy Eklund Later,
Laurie Manfra, Katharine Myers,
Lauren Nelson Packard, Jennifer Thompson,
Arnoud Verhaeghe, Joseph Weston, and
Deb Wood of Princeton Architectural Press
Kevin C. Lippert, publisher
Library of Congress
Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rael, Ronald, 1971
Earth architecture / Ronald Rael. 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-56898-767-5 (alk. paper)
1. Earth construction. 2. Architecture, Modern20th
century. 3. Architecture, Modern21st century. I. Title.
TH1421.R34 2008
721.0442dc22
2008010582
This book is dedicated to my parents, Christina Casias Rael, whose wisdom and character
was shaped in a small adobe house built by her grandfather in the isolated village of
La Florida, Colorado, and Miguel Arturo Rael (19452008), an honest and hardworking builder
who left a legacy of adobe, wood, steel, and concrete in the San Luis Valley, Colorado.
Anyone who has met them knows how special they were and are.
Contents
20 Rammed Earth Houses
Jourda & Perraudin Partenaires
24 Bowali Visitor Information
Centre
Glenn Murcutt & Associates
and Troppo Architects
28 Low Compound
Jones Studio
30 Ooi House
Kerry Hill Architects
32 Palmer-Rose House
Rick Joy Architects
36 Poll House, Margaret River
Gary Marinko Architects
40 Thurgoona Campus of
Charles Sturt University
Marci Webster-Mannison
44 Chapel of Reconciliation
Reitermann and Sassenroth
48 Masons Bend Community
Center
Rural Studio
52 National Wine Centre
Grieve Gillette and Cox Architects
56 Eden Project Visitor Centre
Grimshaw Architects
60 Sihlhlzli Sports Facility
Storage Sheds and
Chronometry Tower
Roger Boltshauser Architekten
64 Split House
Atelier FCJZ
68 Cemetery Extension and
Chapel of Rest
Marte.Marte
72 Center of Gravity Foundation Hall
Predock Frane Architects
76 Residence at Meteor Vineyards
Cutler Anderson Architects
80 Vineyard Residence
John Wardle Architects
84 Rosie Joe House
Design Build BLUFF
88 Zousei Architecture
Manabu + Nez/Loco Architects
92 Amankora Bhutan Resorts
Kerry Hill Architects
96 Red Hill Residence
Christopherchris Architecture
100 Back 40 House
Gallo Powell Consortium
104 NkMip Desert Interpretive
Centre
Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden
108 Residence 1
Drachman Design-Build Coalition
8 Introduction
16 Chapter 1
Rammed Earth
182 Baninajar Refugee Camp
Housing
Nader Khalili
184 Waldorf Kindergarten
Planungsbro fr kologisches
Bauen Kassel
186 House of Earth and Light
Marwan Al-Sayed Architects Ltd.
190 Extension for the Charcoal
Burners Hut
Smiljan Radic
192 Cobtun House
Associated Architects
196 Pealoln House
Sur Tierra Arquitectura
198 Handmade School
Heringer-Roswag Cooperation
202 AfterwordThe Future
203 Acknowledgments
204 Notes
206 Design Credits
207 Selected Bibliography
208 Image Credits
116 La Luz Community
Antoine Predock Architect
120 Matthews Residence
Will Bruder + Partners
122 The Eco House
Arkitekt Sverre Fehn AS
126 Camacho Residence
The Adobe Alliance
130 Arrillhjere Demonstration House
Brendan J. Meney Architects
134 Druk White Lotus School
Arup Associates
138 Bodega en Los Robles
Jos Cruz Ovalle, Arquitecto
142 Cocuy Pecayero Distillery
Rafael Mattar Neri, Arquitectos Asociados
144 Casa Corralones
Mathias Klotz Arquitecto
148 Prada Marfa
Elmgreen & Dragset
152 Christines House
Rural Studio
160 Villa Eila
Heikkinen-Komonen Architects
164 Kahere Eila Poultry
Farming School
Heikkinen-Komonen Architects
168 N3
de Paor Architects
170 Center for the Blind
Taller de Arquitectura Mauricio Rocha
174 Primary School
Dibdo Francis Kr
112 Chapter 2
Mud Brick
156 Chapter 3
Compressed Earth Block
178 Chapter 4
Molded Earth
Introduction