Building with earth - Gernot MINKE (1)

8.8 8.9
Cockington (Devon, England) that was built
using this technique in 1410.
A similar technique called Wellerbau, has
been known in German since medieval
times, and was especially widespread in
Thuringia and Saxony. Here, the straw loam
is not formed into clods as in the cob technique,
nor compacted by throwing as with
the zabur technique, but is directly stacked
with a pitchfork and then compacted using
feet or rams (8.11). The wall is built up in layers
of 80 to 90 cm. After a short drying period,
the surface of these layers is smoothed
with a wedge-shaped spade.
laid per day. A lime plaster several layers
thick is used after the wall is dry. The first
such house was built in 1925 (8.14). Within
the next five years, more than 300 houses
were built by co-operatives, formed by
unemployed workers on the initiative of von
Bodelschwingh. The entire families of the
members participated in production and
construction.
8.10
The “Dünne loam loaf” technique
Techniques similar to the ones used in
Slovakia and Yemen, described above, were
known in North Africa. They inspired Gustav
von Bodelschwingh, a German missionary,
to adapt them to German conditions. The
resulting technique derives its name from
the small town of Dünne, where it was first
used.
Here, wet loaves of loam are stacked in
masonry patterns, but without mortar. In
order to provide better bonding to the
plaster that is applied later, a conical hole is
made on the outer face of each loaf using
the finger (see 8.13). Three to five layers are
8.11
74
Direct forming