Workshop & Conference - "L'avenir de la terre crue" - Rabat

Raw earth has enormous potential in construction due to its environmental and qualitative advantages. In Brussels, BC materials is in the process of reintroducing raw earth products in an industrial way, recognised by standards and introduced into contemporary architectural projects.

In Morocco, where it has its roots, construction with raw earth proves even more relevant due to its local availability and adaptation to traditional construction techniques. It emerges as a sustainable and economical alternative, perpetuating the richness of inherited construction methods in the territories.

As part of an economic mission to Morocco in February 2024, initiated by hub.brussels (the Brussels agency for business support), we are organising two activities focusing on the future of raw earth and local materials.

Workshop: pavilion

A pavilion was be built during two workshops in February. The pavilion aims to show some of the possibilities of earth, such as the use of unfired earth bricks through semi-industrial production and seismic design principles. Flexible Teflon tension rods link the foundations to the ring beam, and horizontal geogrids are integrated into the pavilion's construction system. Together with the flexibility of raw earth building materials, this creates a building which can react with ductility on the horizontal and vertical earthquake forces without collapsing - saving lives during the earthquake and being easy to repair after the earthquake. 
Serving as a physical testament to the exchange of Moroccan-Brussels expertise, the pavillion is an object of conviviality mainly made of raw earth and locally sourced materials.

In collaboration with Mamoun Kadiri (MAK architecte), L'ENA Rabat, l’ULB (Université libre de Bruxelles), and ecobuild.brussels.

Conference

For this event, BC wants to talk to local players in Morocco about the use of raw earth in Morocco. There is a wealth of knowledge and heritage in traditional techniques such as rammed earth, adobe and rendering. There are also contemporary projects and available materials. What could be the next steps to democratise raw earth in Morocco?

The following people will give a talk:

BC architects & studies / BC materials
upscaling earth, sharing experiences

MAK architecte
semi-industrial production of compressed earth bricks

Salima Naji
the strong tradition of raw earth in Morocco

Atelier be
earth and earthquakes

Oussama Moukmir
principles of eco-construction in Morocco

Majid Mansour
energy performances of raw earth

Sijelmassi&Partners + Atelier Mawlawi
rammed earth in urban context - Bosch headquarters Casablanca