When our Italian partner-organisation AK0 - architettura a kilometro zero started its cooperation project on sustainable architecture in Côte d'Ivoire in 2017, one of the goals was to train local craftsmen and inhabitants and enable them to take advantage of locally available resources such as raw earth, natural fibres and centuries of non-codified yet deep and precious knowledge.

There is an emergency in finding an alternative to cement concrete and one of the solutions may be just under our feet: earth material! Even if it's compressive strength isn't equivalent to concrete's, in a lot of cases it can be enough and thus represent a real alternative.

Since last Monday all the BIØN partners are gathering again in Montemor-o-Novo for the final event of LearnBIØN. For one week most of the building techniques applied during the workshops held by the network during the last two years have been reproposed in a concentrated workshop with participants from all over Europe.

After workshop BI0N#5, we finished the construction: a rammed earth parapet was built, the wooden structure of the roof was set and the different layers of the green roof were installed. In the interior, a lime concrete slab was done on a rocks bed. The shelves were realized with ceramic tiles (made in a local small factory) and a lime plaster was done to protect each one of the niches.

Last July, during workshop #2 of the LearnBIØN-program, AK0 together with local associations and the municipality of Casaprota have equipped a training location for sustainable architecture within an abandoned building in central Italy.

Second and last week of our ”design&build rammed earth workshop” have passed. During the week end we had the opportunity to know better the environment of the village with two excursions: first we were invited to a traditional walk in the country-side with Valverde’s inhabitants. During this pagan feast, they usually do a procession with horses, tractors and other vehicles, and make several breaks to have some wine and tapas. It was a great experience although we had to come back quickly to the village because of the rain..

The first week has passed at the Design and Build with Rammed Earth course in Valverde de Burguillos (Extremadura, Spain). The whole group of participants (17 people from 9 diferent countries) gathered on sunday 15th and had their first contact with the local vernacular architecture through a “rural sketching” activity.

Rammed earth is a traditional building technique present in many parts of Spain, especially in the south of Extremadura, where most of the villages are built with rammed earth and painted with lime. This beautiful vernacular architecture is today under threat of extinction in spite of the countless benefits of raw earth, a local and low transformed material with high comfort regulation properties.

The last week of the course has arrived. With it comes a central part of the learning process, learning the secrets behind building a vault. To help us sharing this knowledge we received the architect Miguel Rocha from CEDAC Terra that counts with numerous experiences with arches and vaults in Portugal and Spain.

During the third week of the course Design and Build with CEB the masonry with 1 and 1/2 brick was continued until arriving to 140cm. This was the starting point of our arches with 170cm diameter. The centering was made by a local carpenter and is a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional ones, instead massive wood, oriented strand boards (OSB) were used to shape the arches form.

It was Saturday (06.05) early morning and difficult to wake up, but the reason was strong: moving south towards the border to visit the office and building company Betão e Taipa, located at Serpa, still in Alentejo region, Portugal.

Another week has passed at the Design and Build with CEB course in Portugal. It was the time to take out the foundation’s formwork and see the result of the previous week of work. It seamed like a desirable pool, that was quickly filled with gravel. A layer of juta fabric and a regularization bastard mortar (cement and lime) helped prepare the surface for the upcoming masonry.

The first week of Design and Build with CEB workshop in Portugal has passed with the achieved goal: the foundation is finished!

19 participants from 7 different countries engaged in the challenge of building a prototype that can host 2 residents/volunteers in our Oficinas da Cerâmica e da Terra.

Another week has passed at the Design and Build with CEB course in Portugal. It was the time to take out the foundation’s formwork and see the result of the previous week of work. It seamed like a desirable pool, that was quickly filled with gravel. A layer of juta fabric and a regularization bastard mortar (cement and lime) helped prepare the surface for the upcoming masonry. Studying the masonry bound-pattern according to the building new dimensions was the next step.

Here, in Montemor-o-Novo, it was an intense weekend. We received our 3 volunteers to start producing Compressed Earth Blocks stabilized or not, with different mixes. We worked with 7 different recipes, mixing clay, small stones, Natural Hydraulic Lime, ashes and cement.

We start in Montemor-o-Novo in Portugal with our first 4 week workshop, running from 20th april- 20th may. The course teach how to design and build with Compressed Earth Bricks. A great oppertunity to learn from professionals in vernacular building techniques. Join Oficinas do Convento in this great spatial exploration in a practical build workshop.