Mud Talks

In our nineteenth Mud Talks podcast, we listen to Scarlett Lee deliver her podium presentation "Flood-Resilient Earthen Construction Technology: When Earth Meets Fabric" at the Earth USA 2022 Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Download her accompanying PDF research paper here.

Scarlett Lee is a PhD Candidate & Tutor of Architectural History at the University of Edinburgh, UK. She was the winner of the 2022 Fred Webster Earthbuilding Engineering Prize at Earth USA 2022.

Earth USA 2022 was the 11th International Conference on Earthen Architecture & Construction hosted by Adobe in Action. More information about the conference can be found at www.earthusa.org.

In our eighteenth Mud Talks podcast, we listen to architect Ben Loescher and professional engineer Anthony Dente deliver their podium presentation "Legal Adobe in California - A Pathway for Building Permits" at the Earth USA 2022 Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Download their accompanying PDF research paper here.

Earth USA 2022 was the 11th International Conference on Earthen Architecture & Construction hosted by Adobe in Action. More information about the conference can be found at www.earthusa.org.

In our seventeenth Mud Talks podcast, we listen to architect Mark Chalom deliver his keynote address "Building with Earth - Past, Present and Future from my Street Corner" at the Earth USA 2022 Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Mark specializes in blending handcrafted Traditional and Contemporary styles with sustainable technologies. Mark’s experience spans both design and construction of environmentally appropriate buildings. Since 1975, Mark has taken his architecture beyond Passive Solar and looks at the total structure, site, materials, systems, water, landscaping and their interaction with each other and the environment. His sensitivity to the historic cultures has blended these new technologies with the traditional forms and materials that have evolved in Northern New Mexico out of common sense and appropriateness. Mark is known for his expertise in the development of the “Solar Adobe” based on the past but adaptive and relevant to the future.

Earth USA 2022 was the 11th International Conference on Earthen Architecture & Construction hosted by Adobe in Action. More information about the conference can be found at www.earthusa.org.

In our sixteenth Mud Talks podcast, we speak to Jim Hallock of Earth Block International / Native Earth Block. Jim left traditional construction methods nearly 30 years ago for a life devoted to building with a healthy, sustainable, and superior product - Earth - and has since become the Western Hemisphere’s preeminent expert in Earth Block creation and construction. Due to the chemical sensitivity of his wife, Nora, Jim left California for rural Colorado in search of a non-toxic building material. After attending multiple seminars and presentations on various “green” systems, he found the answer right beneath his feet, leased a machine from New Mexico, and built what he now refers to as Earth Block One: his first of hundreds. The rest is a long and dirty history, spanning eight states and nine countries. Join us for this episode as Jim gives us an in-depth overview of his personal preferences when designing and building homes with CEBs.

With Mud Talks 15-8 we wrap up a special eight-part miniseries dedicated to the topic of preserving earthen architecture. In this final episode of the series we speak to Jake Barrow, Cornerstones Community Partnerships Program Director. We speak about wood elements in earthen structures and their preservation as well as the importance of maintenance plans and cycles for earthen structures.

Resources & Further Reading:

Adobe Conservation - A Preservation Handbook pp. 117 to 126, 159 to 174, 191 to 208
by Cornerstones Community Partnerships (Author), Francisco Uviña Contreras (Illustrator)
Publisher: Sunstone Press (August 15, 2006)
ISBN-13: 978-0865345270
https://www.cstones.org/books

The Mud Talks Preserving Earthen Architecture series is brought to you in collaboration with Cornerstones Community Partnerships and is made possible by the support of the US Department of the Interior, National Park Service and a National Center for Preservation Technology & Training grant.

With Mud Talks 15-7 we continue a special eight-part miniseries dedicated to the topic of preserving earthen architecture. In this seventh episode of the series we speak to Angela Francis, Cornerstones Community Partnerships Project Manager. We speak about traditional plasters & plaster/surface conservation.

Resources & Further Reading:

Adobe Conservation - A Preservation Handbook pp. 127 to 148, 155 to 158
by Cornerstones Community Partnerships (Author), Francisco Uviña Contreras (Illustrator)
Publisher: Sunstone Press (August 15, 2006)
ISBN-13: 978-0865345270
https://www.cstones.org/books

Clay Culture: Plasters, Paints & Preservation
by Carole Crews
Publisher: Gourmet Adobe Press (8 Sept. 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0984222902
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8421842-clay-culture

The Mud Talks Preserving Earthen Architecture series is brought to you in collaboration with Cornerstones Community Partnerships and is made possible by the support of the US Department of the Interior, National Park Service and a National Center for Preservation Technology & Training grant.

With Mud Talks 15-6 we continue a special eight-part miniseries dedicated to the topic of preserving earthen architecture. In this sixth episode of the series we speak to Pat Taylor, Historic Preservation Specialist & General Contractor. We speak about basal/wall stabilization and stitching techniques as well as repairing structural cracks.

Resources & Further Reading:

Adobe Conservation - A Preservation Handbook
pp. 99 to 115, 117 to 126, 149 to 154, 159 to 174 and 191 to 208
by Cornerstones Community Partnerships (Author), Francisco Uviña Contreras (Illustrator)
Publisher: Sunstone Press (August 15, 2006)
ISBN-13: 978-0865345270
https://www.cstones.org/books

Titan Construction Products, LLC
http://www.titanecp.com/

New Mexico Earth Adobes
https://www.newmexicoearth.com/

The Mud Talks Preserving Earthen Architecture series is brought to you in collaboration with Cornerstones Community Partnerships and is made possible by the support of the US Department of the Interior, National Park Service and a National Center for Preservation Technology & Training grant.

With Mud Talks 15-5 we continue a special eight-part miniseries dedicated to the topic of preserving earthen architecture. In this fifth episode of the series we speak to Pat Taylor, Historic Preservation Specialist & General Contractor followed by Calvin Chimoni from El Morro National Monument. We speak about raw material identification & testing, making adobe bricks as well as working with earth & stone.

Resources & Further Reading:

Adobe Conservation - A Preservation Handbook pp. 71 to 94
by Cornerstones Community Partnerships (Author), Francisco Uviña Contreras (Illustrator)
Publisher: Sunstone Press (August 15, 2006)
ISBN-13: 978-0865345270
https://www.cstones.org/books

US National Park Service
Repointing Mortar Joints in Historic Masonry Buildings
https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/2-repoint-mortar-joints.htm

University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design
Center for Architectural Conservation
https://www.design.upenn.edu/cac

US National Park Service
Vanishing Treasures Program
https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1022/services.htm

CROCKER LTD Architectural Conservation Website
http://www.crockerltd.net/

US National Park Service
El Morro National Monument New Mexico
https://www.nps.gov/elmo/index.htm

The Mud Talks Preserving Earthen Architecture series is brought to you in collaboration with Cornerstones Community Partnerships and is made possible by the support of the US Department of the Interior, National Park Service and a National Center for Preservation Technology & Training grant.

With Mud Talks 15-4 we continue a special eight-part miniseries dedicated to the topic of preserving earthen architecture. In this fourth episode of the series we speak to Jake Barrow, Program Director at Cornerstones Community Partnerships. We speak about earthen building assessments, identifying damage & structural issues as well as basic engineering principles & seismic/structural retrofit of historic earthen buildings.

Resources & Further Reading:

Adobe Conservation - A Preservation Handbook pp. 54 to 70 and 85 to 98
by Cornerstones Community Partnerships (Author), Francisco Uviña Contreras (Illustrator)
Publisher: Sunstone Press (August 15, 2006)
ISBN-13: 978-0865345270
https://www.cstones.org/books

Earthen Architecture and Seismic Codes; Lessons From the Field
by Edward Crocker, Crocker Ltd. Architectural Conservation, Trustee, US/ICOMOS
https://crockerltd.net/earthen_architecture_lessons.pdf

Earthen Architecture Initiative Seismic Retrofitting Project by The Getty Conservation Institute
https://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/pdf_publications/pdf/earthen_arch_seismic_bib.pdf

With Mud Talks 15-3 we continue a special eight-part miniseries dedicated to the topic of preserving earthen architecture. In this third episode of the series we speak to Pat Taylor, Historic Preservation Specialist & General Contractor followed by Eric Liefeld, President of Mesilla Valley Preservation, Inc. We speak about capillary action, permeability and salt attack – including sources, processes and effects of deterioration.

Resources & Further Reading:

Adobe Conservation - A Preservation Handbook pp. 51 to 56
by Cornerstones Community Partnerships (Author), Francisco Uviña Contreras (Illustrator)
Publisher: Sunstone Press (August 15, 2006)
ISBN-13: 978-0865345270
https://www.cstones.org/books

Pozzolans for Lime Mortars
by Pat Gibbons
https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/pozzo/lime-pozzolans.htm

Hot Mixed Lime & Traditional Mortars: A Practical Guide to Their Use in Conservation and Repair
by Nigel Copsey (Autor)
Publisher: The Crowood Press Ltd (July 1, 2019)
ISBN-13: 978-1785005558

Mesilla Valley Preservation, Inc. Website
http://mvpres.org

Salts of the Earth: When Salts Attack!
https://youtu.be/ntPbiZOnpGg

The Mud Talks Preserving Earthen Architecture series is brought to you in collaboration with Cornerstones Community Partnerships and is made possible by the support of the US Department of the Interior, National Park Service and a National Center for Preservation Technology & Training grant.