A talk by Rowland Keable, Honorary Professor UNESCO Chair on Earthen Architecture, CEO EBUKI (Earth Building UK and Ireland), and Director Rammed Earth Consulting CIC.

Earth building - including rammed earth and unfired bricks - is starting to get recognised as part of decarbonising discussions in the mainstream of construction. Through EBUKI Rowland brings together networks of builders, teachers, trainers, researchers, designers, publishers and taking an ‘all necessary means’ approach to earth as a building material.

Rowland is actively engaged in a European earth structures and trainers skills standards group. He chairs the NOS review for earth building and plasters and has written construction codes and standards in the UK, Europe and Africa.

Rowland has worked with rammed earth technology since 1985 including Passivhaus local authority classrooms, consulting for non-earth specialist designers and contractors.

He will talk about site materials and how they can realistically be used at scale. His talk will focus on progressive architectural and engineering design using earth, including some history of earth building and a circumspect discussion of whether it could replace cement based materials in foundations.