Rammed earth: A material for the future

This seminar on Rammed Earth is arranged by the student organization, KADK x Klima, in collaboration with CINARK, the Center for Industrialized Architecture. The seminar investigates the potential of earth and its tectonic challenges, aesthetic and material properties and its possible CO2-reduction both in transport-, and production energy.

Lasse Koefoed Nielsen from Egen Vinding og Datter will gives us a perspective on their experiences of working with earth in a Danish context. Professor Guillaume Habert from ETH will speak about the potential of “liquid earth” in contemporary construction and his current research in Switzerland. We wish to discuss the use, challenges and potentials of rammed earth in an industrialized age. 

The seminar is in English. Participation is free. 

Seminar program: 

16:00 pm Welcome by KADK x Klima

16:05 pm Lasse Koefoed Nielsen from Egen Vinding & Datter 

16:40 pm Guillaume Habert by Skype 

17:10 pm Questions and Debate 

18:00 pm End of seminar and exhibition 

About Lasse Koefoed Nielsen 
Since in 1980, Egenvinding and Datter have worked on creating new nature-, and environmentally friendly construction methods and products. It is common sense, good finances and a safeguard of the future, to focus on choice of materials and the environment when designing a new home or renovating the old one. They provide long-lasting solutions and are therefore also more economical over time. 

Lasse Koefoed Nielsen will give an overall introduction on different approaches regarding work with clay and earth. Egen Vinding og Datter has worked with clay for the last 20 years, producing clay bricks and clay powder for versatile use (clay plasters ect). Recently Egen Vinding og Datter have produced a rammed earth element in collaboration with Tatiana Bilbao for Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

About Guillaume Habert
“The construction market is the largest market in the world. Being most popular, buildings made of concrete and cement make up one third of the worlds energy consumption and thus depletegravel and sand deposits. As a building material earth has the lowest impact on the environment. Despite its many advantages, its large scale use is limited by the fact that modern earth buildings processes are extremely time consuming and labor intensive,therefore expensive. Both industrialized and rapidly growing, emerging countries need new earth building methods that are fast, cheap and simple. The clay concrete casting technique and the latest self-compacting concrete have this potential.” (Essay: On the potential of liquid earth in contemporary construction by Guillaume Habert, Coralie Brumaud and Gnanli Landrou, from “Pisé – Rammed Earth Tradition and Potential”) 

Since 2012, Guillaume Habert is associate professor for sustainable construction at ETH Zurich. He leads a group of scientists, engineers and architects that aim to ground sustainabilityin the disciplines of the built environment. The objective is to identify the relevant parameters that influence the environmental impacts of buildings at international, national and regional levels in order to implement sustainable practices throughout the development of innovative strategies adapted to each actor. This involves interdisciplinary works and draws on Life Cycle Assessment, urban metabolism and material science.

KADK x KLIMA
KADK x KLIMA is an initiative led by students from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. The student-movement has been created to increase awareness on sustainable architecture and design.Our aim is to develop a collective platform where climate can be debated and its challenges taken seriously. We invite our fellow students to engage in the ‘climate discussion’ and together take part in the responsibility of educating ourselves towards becomingsustainable architects and designers.