Pisé – Hybrid Constructions extends the application-based research of its predecessor volume into the broader territory of hybrid earth building — examining how rammed earth, adobe, and related techniques combine with timber, concrete, and other materials in contemporary construction.
About This Book
This volume picks up where Pisé – Rammed Earth left off, shifting the focus from a single technique to the full spectrum of hybrid earth construction. Grounded in the analysis of historical structures across Morocco, Southern Europe, and Central Europe, it builds a knowledge base applicable to current practice — addressing not only structural performance but also the thermal and hygroscopic qualities that make earth an enduring material for comfortable indoor environments. Student projects from EPFL Lausanne, TU Munich, and ETH Zurich sit alongside completed buildings, demonstrating that hybrid earthen architecture is not a theoretical position but a live, testable approach to low-embodied-energy construction.
Key Features
- 134 pages of historical analysis, student project documentation, and completed building case studies
- Edited by Roger Boltshauser, Mirjam Kupferschmid, Janina Flückiger, and Marlène Witry
- Case studies include the kiln tower in Cham (pre-stressed rammed earth), the Hortus project in Basel (timber and hybrid earth/timber ceiling structure), and research buildings by Florian Nagler in Bad Aibling and Munich
- Published by Triest Verlag
What You'll Discover
- How hybrid earth construction — combining earthen methods with timber, pre-stressed rammed earth, and other materials — responds to both structural and climatic demands in contemporary buildings
- The historical precedents for hybrid earthen structures in Morocco, Southern Europe, and Central Europe, and what they reveal about material behaviour across climates
- How student work at three leading architecture schools (EPFL, TU Munich, ETH Zurich) translates material research into buildable proposals
- How low-tech hybrid earth systems, as demonstrated in Florian Nagler's research buildings, can underpin architecturally resolved, thermally efficient modern buildings
About the Author
Roger Boltshauser is one of the editors of this volume, which continues his research into natural and earthen building materials. He is joined by co-editors Mirjam Kupferschmid, Janina Flückiger, and Marlène Witry in shaping this application-focused study of hybrid earth construction.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 134
- Dimensions: 220 x 300 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9783038630968
- Publisher: Triest Verlag
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architects and builders working with natural or low-embodied-carbon materials, academics and students researching earthen construction, and practitioners at schools including ETH, TU Munich, or EPFL engaged with material-led design research.