Visitor Centre at the Swiss Ornithological Institute
Location: Sempach, Switzerland
Area: 2060 m²
Year: 2010-2015
Architects: :mlzd
Project Team:Claude Marbach, Julia Wurst, Pat Tanner, Daniele Di Giacinto, Roman Lehmann, Amelie Braun, Katharina Kleczka, Marlies Rosenberger, Regina Tadorian, Johannes Weisser, Samuel Wespe, Miriam Zenk
Construction Managment: kunzarchitekten ag, Sursee
Construction Engineer (Solid): WAM Planer und Ingenieure AG, Bern
Construction Engineer (Wood): Pirmin Jung Ingenieure für Holzbau AG, Rain
Rammed Earth: LEHM TON ERDE Baukunst GmbH, A - Schlins
Text description provided by the architects.
The new Visitor Centre at the Swiss Ornithological Ins- titute has been built on the banks of Sempachersee. Its function is to provide the public with more information about the work of the Ornithological Institute and about bird life in Switzerland.
The compact, polygon structures have been positioned so that they interact with the countryside and the lake. One part of the building houses the extremely flexible exhibition hall. The area between the buildings has been made into a spacious foyer, from where there is access to all parts of the exhibition.
The compact, polygon structures have been positioned so that they interact with the countryside and the lake. One part of the building houses the extremely flexible exhibition hall. The area between the buildings has been made into a spacious foyer, from where there is access to all parts of the exhibition.
The showcase aviary at the end of the foyer offers a gradual, fleeting transition between the inside and outside worlds. The building’s self-supporting outer shell is comprised of solid walls made of rammed earth.
With the addition of simple timber constructions, they give the Visitor Centre, which satisfies the “Minergie-P-eco” standard, its characteristic appearance and do justice to the sustainability concept.
Ground floor plan
At the 2017 'European Museum of the Year Award', the visitor center received the special award for the most sustainable project. The 'EMYA' is awarded by the Council of Europe and has been awarded annually since 1977.
For more information about this project visit :mlzd website
Retour sur une étape primordiale de la construction en briques de terre comprimée (BTC) de ce chantier : l’extraction de la terre. Cette terre est extraite à 17 kilomètres du lieu de production des BTC. Considérant la terre comme une ressource naturelle à haut potentiel, le fabricant a fait appel à une carrière spécialisée en granulats concassés pour la production de béton de ciment qui n’exploite pas la couche de terre située en surface sous la terre végétale. Afin d’assurer l’homogénéité de la terre qu’il utilise, Etienne Gay (Briques Technic Concept), fabriquant des BTC, mélange les terres livrées par camion et contrôle la qualité des terres livrées et des mélanges obtenus. Cette terre doit contenir une proportion équilibrée de petits graviers, de sables, de limons et d'argiles. Sa particularité réside dans sa faible teneur en argile. En effet, si la terre est trop argileuse, elle fissure au séchage, il est alors recommandé d’ajouter du sable afin de limiter le retrait. Dans le cas du chantier du centre culturel de Cornebarrieu, le fabricant a fait le choix d’ajouter de la chaux hydraulique pour augmenter la résistance mécanique et à l’eau des briques.
Zoom sur la première étape de transformation de la terre en briques de terre comprimée (BTC) du chantier du centre culturel de Cornebarrieu : le tamisage de la terre. Le moule utilisé dans la technique BTC limite la taille des plus gros grains exploitables, car des cailloux ou de gros graviers empêcheraient une compression homogène du bloc. La terre à BTC doit contenir une proportion équilibrée de petits graviers, de sables, de limons et d'argiles. Ainsi, la première étape consiste à obtenir un matériau pulvérulent, humide et homogène. En fonction des caractéristiques physiques du matériau d’origine, la terre peut suivre diverses étapes de broyage, tamisage et malaxage. Ici, le fabriquant des BTC du chantier du pôle culturel de Cornebarrieu passe la terre extraite à quelques kilomètres du lieu de production au tamis afin de recueillir une terre fine propre aux BTC. Elle sera ensuite malaxée avec de la chaux et de l’eau, à découvrir dans la vidéo bonus #3.
Le processus de transformation de la terre en briques de terre comprimée (BTC) du chantier du centre culturel de Cornebarrieu continue avec une dernière étape avant la compression : l’ajout d’eau et de chaux. La terre à BTC préalablement tamisée (voir bonus #2) est maintenant malaxée afin d’obtenir une terre fine et homogène comme une poudre. Elle contient une proportion équilibrée de petits graviers, de sables, de limons et d'argiles. Si la terre est trop argileuse, elle fissure au séchage, il est alors recommandé d’ajouter du sable afin de limiter le retrait. Dans le cas du chantier du centre culturel de Cornebarrieu, la terre a une faible teneur en argile. Afin d’augmenter la résistance mécanique du matériau mais aussi sa résistance à l’eau, le fabricant a fait le choix de stabiliser la terre à la chaux hydraulique. Cet ingrédient va permettre de renforcer l’action des argiles, voire de la remplacer. Une fois que la terre et la chaux sont malaxées, le mélange est amené à l’état humide pour atteindre une teneur en eau d’environ 10 %, ce taux variant de 5 à 20 % selon le fabricant. La chaux va alors absorber l’eau pour coller les grains de terre et permettre ainsi la compression et la tenue du matériau sous forme de brique.
Dernière étape du processus de transformation de la terre en briques de terre comprimée (BTC) du chantier du centre culturel de Cornebarrieu : la compression de la terre. La technique de fabrication de briques de terre comprimée (BTC) est issue de la rencontre entre celle de l’adobe, brique de terre crue moulée à l'état plastique, et celle du pisé, terre humide compactée par couches successives. Terre humide et peu argileuse, elle est comprimée dans un moule grâce à une presse mécanique ou automatique. La première étape consiste à préparer la terre afin d’obtenir un matériau pulvérulent, humide et homogène (voir bonus #2 Tamisage et le bonus #3 Mélange terre, chaux et eau).
Le moule de la presse est rempli de ce mélange. Un couvercle se referme sur le moule pour comprimer la terre. Le bloc est ensuite éjecté du moule, saisi à la main et empilé sur une zone de stockage de manière à laisser les faces principales en contact à l’air afin de favoriser le séchage. Un séchage lent en atmosphère humide, appelé cure humide, est nécessaire si du ciment ou de la chaux ont été ajoutés au mélange (voir bonus #5 Cure humide, cure sèche).
Bien que très récente, la technique de la BTC a toutefois connu une évolution depuis l’invention des premières presses manuelles, qui permettaient de produire entre 300 et 800 blocs par jour, aux unités industrielles intégrales délivrant jusqu’à 50000 blocs par jour. En effet, le principal avantage de cette technique réside dans sa capacité à être industrialisée localement à partir des matières à proximité voire celles qui se trouvent directement dans le sol du lieu de construction.
C’est d’ailleurs l’objet de l’expérimentation « Du déblai à la brique de terre crue » portée par Joly&Loiret architectes, deWulf et amàco avec la Société du Grand Paris pour transformer les déblais de chantier du Grand Paris Express en briques de terre crue pour les constructions locales.
Pendant plus de trois semaines, les briques de terre comprimée (BTC) réalisées pour le chantier du centre culturel de Cornebarrieu vont être stockées dans un environnement humide puis sec.
La compression de la terre permet de chasser l’air entre les grains et de diminuer la porosité du matériau le rendant plus résistant mécaniquement.
Lors de la compression, les argiles se réorganisent et viennent coller les autres grains du matériau grâce aux molécules d’eau contenues dans leur microstructure. C’est cette cohésion qui va permettre à la terre de se maintenir sous forme de brique. Afin d’augmenter la résistance mécanique du matériau mais aussi sa résistance à l’eau, le fabriquant a fait le choix d’ajouter de la chaux hydraulique au mélange de terre (voir vidéo BTC bonus #3). Ce liant hydraulique a besoin d’eau et de temps pour agir. Afin d’éviter que l’eau ne s’évapore avant la prise complète de la chaux, le matériau est confiné plusieurs semaines sous des bâches. On appelle cette étape la cure humide. Les briques de terre comprimée stockées sur palette vont suivre cette cure durant trois semaines. Elle consiste à utiliser l’eau contenue dans les briques en circuit fermé pour apporter l’humidité nécessaire à la prise de la chaux. Après trois semaines, les bâches sont retirées afin d'initier le processus naturel de séchage des briques. Contrairement au séchage artificiel par ventilation mécanique, le séchage naturel, plus lent, permet d’accroitre la résistance du matériau mais également de diminuer l’impact environnemental de la production des briques.
Ces films fait partie d’une série intitulée « Construire en terre crue » produite par amàco et Les Films du Lierre. D’autres vidéos sont à venir alors
Licence Creative Commons : BY + NC + ND
Co-production : amàco, les films du lierre
Maîtrise d’ouvrage - Mairie de Cornebarrieu
Architecture - Atelier Philippe Madec
Fabrication des BTC - Briques Technic
Concept Construction en terre crue - Les Briqueteurs réunis
"OUALALOU + CHOI has designed the Morocco Pavilion at the 2020 Expo in Dubai, showcasing how traditional Moroccan design and construction techniques can find new relevance in contemporary design and urban development efforts. As a pioneering work of rammed earth construction—the building’s rammed earth facade will be the largest of its kind-the Pavilion aims to push the technical and creative limits of Morocco’s traditional building materials to new heights, while paying tribute to the country’s rich and varied culture and landscape.
Imagined by the award-winning international team of OUALALOU + CHOI, based in Paris and Casablanca, the Morocco Pavilion is scheduled to open in October 2020 (postponed), with construction underway.
Comprised of twenty two stacked rectangular volumes visually resonant with vernacular rammed earth villages in Morocco, the Pavilion encompasses fourteen exhibition spaces, a traditional Moroccan restaurant, a tea room, a modern street food area, a shop, an event space, an office space, and a lounge. Arranged vertically around a lush inner courtyard—an important spatial element in traditional Moroccan architecture—each of these spaces are connected by a continuous “inner street”, which begins at the building’s uppermost floor and gradually descends to the ground floor.
The Pavilion’s “street” organizes a set route between sequential exhibition spaces, allowing visitors to come into contact with and experience the different regions and cultures of Morocco. Along this exhibition route, the restaurant, tea room, lounge, and ten hanging gardens offer visitors moments of pause and framed views of the surrounding Expo as they descend to the Pavilion’s ground level.
"Designed around an inner courtyard, a major spatial element in traditional Moroccan architecture, the different spaces of the pavilion are connected by a continuous “inner street”. The on-going path generates a “set route between sequential exhibition spaces, allowing visitors to come into contact with and experience the different regions and cultures of Morocco”, as they descend to the Pavilion’s ground level. In addition, people can navigate through the project from its eastern core, where a 15 m² elevating platform and exhibition space can bring up to 50 people at a time from the ground to the seventh floor."
The Pavilion’s exterior envelope is composed of a 4000 m², 33 m high rammed earth facade, an ambitious technical feat pioneering in its advancement of rammed earth construction methods. Rammed earth, a traditional building material in Morocco, plays a key role in passively regulating indoor conditions in hot and arid places. Its use in the Pavilion proves that it is a material at once traditional and innovative, offering an example of how such building methods can serve to inspire more sustainable models of urban development. In conjunction with other passive strategies used in the design of the building, such as wooden interior facades which double as sunscreens, the rammed earth facade allows the Pavilion to answer fully to the demanding ecological standards of LEED.
In line with this commitment to sustainability, after the conclusion of the 2021 Expo the Pavilion will be converted into a housing complex, with existing facilities thoughtfully adapted into apartments, an 80 m² swimming pool, a fitness club, and a shared lounge.
For more information about this project visit OUALALOU + CHOI website
Fachada em terra comprimida no Alnatura Campus em Darmstadt, na Alemanha
Prémio German Sustainability Award Architecture 2020
Alnatura Campus em Darmstadt, Alemanha Arquitectos: Haas Cook Zemmrich Studio 2050, Stuttgart Consultor Energético: Transsolar, Stuttgart Estruturas: Knippers Helbig, Stuttgart Construtor: Lehm Ton Erde Baukunst GmbH Ano de construção: 2016 - 2017 Dados Gerais: 55,000 m2 Campus 13,500 m2 Ambiente de trabalho Alnatura 18.93 m Cércea máxima 94.40 m Comprimento do Edifício 384 Número de blocos em terra 1000 m3 Volume Cisterna drenagem pluvial 82 kW Sistema de energia Geotérmica 90 kWp Sistema Fotovoltaico 155 Nº Lugares de parqueamento p/ Bicicletas
O atelier Hass Cook Zemmrich Studio 2050 projetou o maior edifício de escritórios da Europa com uma fachada em taipa para o grupo de retalho Alnatura.
Em estreita cooperação com os especialistas em construção em terra crua da Lehm Ton Erde (Martin Rauch ) e a Transsolar, desenvolveram um sistema de construção em que grandes blocos de terra argilosa com isolamento integrado são pré-fabricados em fábrica e colocados em obra.
A sede da empresa Alnatura é o coração de um amplo complexo. O seus 10.000 m² de área oferecem espaço para até 500 funcionários, um restaurante vegetariano, localizado no piso térreo, também aberto ao público. Especializada na venda de produtos biológicos e há já algum tempo seguindo uma ambiciosa estratégia de sustentabilidade, a solicitação por parte da empresa por um novo edifício, ecologicamente sustentável para instalar a sua sede não foi surpresa.
Amplo, simples, sustentável e orientado para as pessoas, esta é descrição para o edifício Alnatura.
Construído na cidade de Darmstadt, no local do antigo Quartel 'Kelley' do Exército dos EUA, o edifício do Campus Alnatura é hoje um marco arquitetónico em termos de sustentabilidade, eficiência de materiais e implementação de novas formas de trabalho num edifício de escritórios.
Cada um dos elementos de taipa nas paredes exteriores mede 3,5m x 1m (e pesa cerca de 4,5 toneladas) ao longo das fachadas norte e sul para formar 16 segmentos de parede, cada um com 12 m de altura. Outra característica notável desta construção é que estes blocos foram fabricados numa fábrica temporária, acomodada num antigo estacionamento de tanques localizada num terreno próximo e posteriormente demolida. As fachadas têm uma espessura total de 69 cm, que compreende uma concha externa de taipa de 38 cm, uma face interna de 14 cm e um núcleo/camada de isolamento de 17 cm entre elas. Esta última consiste em cascalho de espuma de vidro reciclado (foam-glass gravel made of recycled glass). Neste caso, o isolamento térmico foi inserido nos elementos de parede enquanto a parede de terra argilosa se encontrava em construção.
As paredes contêm não apenas argila recolhida de Westerwald e pozolanas da região de Eifel, mas também terra reciclada escavada do túnel do Projeto da Estação de Comboios 21 de Estugarda.
Barreiras de erosão horizontal consistindo de argila e argamassa de cal foram integradas a cada 30 a 60 cm, a fim de conter a natural erosão superficial. Assim estas diminuem a força dos fluxos de água e neve, minimizando assim a erosão referida.
Graças à durabilidade do material bem como às excelentes propriedades das argilas em termos de regulação da humidade e capacidade de armazenamento térmico, o edifício preservará o seu valor durante um longo período de tempo.
Para além da manutenção normal do edifico, nenhuma limpeza ou trabalhos complexos de limpeza serão necessários na fachada.
No interior do edifício, as superfícies respiráveis ajudam a equilibrar não só o clima interior, mas também o desempenho acústico das áreas de escritórios adjacentes.
A pegada ecológica do novo edifício foi alvo de avaliação e abordagem científica, com investigação sobre a quantidade de energia total necessária para produção, transporte, armazenamento e ou descarte/reciclagem dos principais materiais de construção, o que levou a soluções inovadoras de economia e gestão de recursos para os diferentes componentes do edifício.
O resultado é um edifício de alto desempenho e eficiência em termos de energia, com conforto interior otimizado através de materiais recicláveis e naturais, como a estrutura do telhado de duas águas de madeira e claro as suas extensas fachadas de terra crua.
"After four years of design, planning, and construction, one of Europe’s most modern museums opened its doors on May 2019: the Goldkammer Frankfurt. In the middle of Frankfurt’s densely built Westend, the biggest architectural challenge was to showcase the fascinating world of gold in an extremely limited space. On a total of just 480 square meters, the Berlin based exhibition designers from merz merz created an expressive setting for more than 500 gold artefacts from the most varied eras of the past 6,000 years with a spectacular sequence of underground tunnels and treasure chambers. With an unobtrusive but emphatic display of the exhibits via integrated lighting elements, Licht Kunst Licht emphasizes the composition of this innovative exhibition concept.
The main area of the museum is devoted to the topics of Gold as Currency, Early Cultures, and Jewelry. The rooms are clad with rammed earth and their upward tapering room geometries and inclined loam plaster ceilings are reminiscent of the ancient Egyptian and Mayan pyramids.
Two of the highlights of the exhibition – the only surviving gold bust of Licinius I and a precious gold mask from Colombia – are shown in two opposing chambers, linked by the exhibition space "Ancient Cultures".
Construire en terre crue — Briques de terre comprimée
La technique avec des briques de terre comprimée (BTC) se présente sous toutes ses coutures à l'occasion du chantier de construction du Pôle culturel de Cornebarrieu en Haute-Garonne.
La technique de fabrication de briques de terre comprimée (BTC) est issue de la rencontre entre celle de l’adobe, brique de terre crue moulée à l'état plastique, et celle du pisé, terre humide compactée par couches successives. Terre humide et peu argileuse, elle est comprimée dans un moule grâce à une presse mécanique ou automatique.
Dans le cadre de ce chantier, le fabricant a mis en place un processus de production unique. Extraite à quelques kilomètres du lieu de production, la terre est tamisée jusqu’à obtenir une terre fine contenant une proportion équilibrée de sable, de limon et d’argile. Stabilisée à la chaux hydraulique, elle est amenée à l’état humide pour atteindre une teneur en eau d’environ 10 %, ce taux variant de 5 à 20 % selon le fabricant. La chaux va alors absorber l’eau pour coller les grains de terre et permettre ainsi la compression et la tenue du matériau sous forme de brique. Stockées sous des bâches pour maintenir le taux d’humidité de la matière, les briques fabriquées voient alors leur cohésion renforcée, la chaux continuant d’agir en milieu humide. Une phase de séchage naturel d’environ trois semaines est ensuite nécessaire avant de maçonner les briques. L’avantage de cette technique réside dans sa capacité à être industrialisée localement à partir des matières à proximité voire qui se trouvent directement dans le sol du lieu de construction. C’est d’ailleurs l’objet de l’expérimentation « Du déblai à la brique de terre crue » portée par Joly&Loiret architectes, deWulf et amàco avec la Société du Grand Paris pour transformer les déblais de chantier du Grand Paris Express en briques de terre crue pour les constructions locales.
Le bâtiment du pôle culturel de Cornebarrieu devient une référence de construction en terre crue avec les murs porteurs en BTC construits au centre de l’édifice. Les briques de terre crue ont été maçonnées de façon à donner leur forme unique à la salle de spectacle et à l'auditorium du pôle.
Ce film fait partie d’une série intitulée « Construire en terre crue » produite par amàco et Les Films du Lierre. Des vidéos bonus détaillent les étapes du processus de fabrication.
Licence Creative Commons : BY + NC + ND
Co-production : amàco, les films du lierre
Maîtrise d’ouvrage - Mairie de Cornebarrieu
Architecture - Atelier Philippe Madec
Entreprise de construction - Briques Technic Concept - Les Briqueteurs réunis
'The Nepalese government, NGO Possible Health and New York City-based studio Sharon Davis Design collaborated to renew a healthcare centre in rural Achham, Nepal, where, as a spokesperson for the design practice explains, ‘the doctor-patient ratio is, on average, 150 times more extreme than recommended by the World Health Organization’.
Spanning 7.5 acres, the medical campus – which has been transformed from an overrun clinic – now has the capability to service over 100,000 patients a year from Achham and six surrounding districts.
Bayalpata Hospital’s five buildings host all necessary facilities, and include an administrative block that houses the institution’s staff and their families.'
'Rammed earth was chosen for building due to its low cost and local availability. ‘Soil from the site was mixed with 6 % cement content to stabilize the earth for better durability and seismic resistance. Reusable, plastic lock-in-place formwork facilitated faster construction and the employment of unskilled local labour, while local stone was used for foundations, pathways and retaining walls.’ Davis says that her team sees this ‘project as a model of how rammed earth – and other vernacular materials – can be utilized to create modern architecture. Without local materials, this project may not have been possible because of its incredibly remote location – a 10-hour drive from the nearest regional airport and a three-day drive on narrow, mountainous roads from the nearest manufacturing centres around Kathmandu.’
Sharon Davis Design introduced rammed earth as a locally available material and low-tech construction method that minimized the cost-prohibitive transportation of building materials in this mountainous region. Built-in furniture, exterior doors, and louvers were fabricated from local Sal wood.
A grid-connected, 100kW photovoltaic array, installed across all south-facing roofs, generates more energy on site than the campus requires. Passive heating and cooling are also essential to the design—only the operating theatre within the surgery building is mechanically conditioned. Insulated roofs, an uncommon feature in the region, along with massive rammed earth walls, retain daytime heat gain in the winter, and in summer keep interiors cool. Breezeways, clerestory ventilation, and ceiling fans increase airflow to further mitigate summer heat. The campus includes new water supply and storage, wastewater treatment facilities, and a network of landscaped terraces and bio-swales that manage monsoon-driven erosion.
The architecture maintains a vernacular scale through setbacks and gabled roofs. Tall windows frame dramatic views and clerestory glazing provides natural daylighting throughout all clinical areas, to reduce the need for artificial lighting. Landscaped courtyards offer a sheltered environment for designated patient seating and informal family waiting areas, and all rooms provide patients with access to outdoor gardens or balconies.'
Architects: Estudio de Arquitectura y Planificación Kaiser
Area: 121 m²
Year: 2020
Lead Architect: Mechthild Kaiser
Design Team: Mauricio Méndez
Clients: Mechthild Kaiser
Collaborators: Mauricio Méndez, Abran Rodriguez
Text description provided by the architects.
"The plot of the house is square-shaped and was cut from a cornfield. An access road separates it from the eucalyptus forest. The main dynamics of the volume is north-south, while the main windows are to the east and west.
The housing structure coincides with the supporting structure. The 36cm thick rammed earth walls constructed in a U-shape with two corners guarantee a strong and rigid structure. Each corner was boarded up in a single phase of work, without joints. For the formation of the floor plan, five of these U's were erected, leaving gaps between them, which allow spatial transition, cross ventilation and natural lighting. Four free walls of rammed earth articulate and extend this compact volume, nailing it to the ground at its extreme points and defining the intermediate zones between interior and exterior.
Running foundations and overhangs of H ° C ° and an annular beam of H ° A ° connect everything in the horizontal direction. The former elevates the earth wall above the humidity zone and the latter also serves as a lintel for windows and doors. The main nave was built to have double height and the required shape in order to support the traditional roofs."
"The central solid body refers to traditional houses, the extensions to the exterior spaces are interpretations of the patio and gallery as distinctive of rural housing. All of this is in striking contrast to the rammed earth walls. It has a perfect geometric shape while at the same time it shows a surface full of life, caused by irregularities and surprises. The horizontal structure of the wall results from the very particular process of tamping the soil in layers of 5-8cm. The colour and texture of the surface result directly from the particular mix of coarse and fine soil and sand.
The technology of rammed earth is laborious. Preparation, formwork assembly, plumbing and aligning all the geometry takes longer than the ramming of the prepared earth itself. Between three workers one cubic meter of rammed earth can be built per day. The low cost of raw materials compensates for the high cost of labour and produces a very low ecological burden. Much discipline and precision in the working process are also compensated when executing the fine work. With the conditions in the humid rooms as an exception, neither plasters nor paints are required. A repair of the damaged parts is done with soil, the surface is treated with natural products such as casein and wax. Thus an abrasion-resistant surface is obtained."
"Há na construção com terra crua, em paralelo com a especificidade e riqueza construtiva do material, uma multiplicidade de técnicas e saberes, de características e tipos de terra, de perspectivas geográficas, sociais e culturais, que a tornam universal e ao mesmo tempo única e especial Queremos partilhar, projectar e construir esta paixão."
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