1. business and industrial
2. construction

RAMMED EARTH
WORKSHOP
IN TURKEY
1. Why building with earth in Turkey?
2. Why a workshop?
3. Who can participate? How to fund?
4. What is the workshop program?
5. Appendix: Presentation and Experiences
6. Contact
1. Why building with rammed earth in Turkey?
- The 19th century industrialization process took over building construction and architecture became a very
prolific business for big industry companies. As a result, architecture lost his local identity. We observe the
same concrete structure all around the world regardless for traditions, climatic conditions, inhabitants. Consuming water, sand and energy, those buildings are growing everywhere in Turkey destroying landscapes, culture,
and the future of next generations. As we know the situation of the world’s resources and environmental
problems, it’s urgent and it’s our responsibility to provide solutions to resist this situation. Vernacular architecture as shown in many places building principles that should be studied more and adapted to a contemporary
design according to new technologies and way of living. Earth is a material that can bring many solutions and
has been forgotten by architects and craftsmen.
- Earth has been a building material since the beginning of human settlements.
- In Turkey especially, earth has been used in different areas from west to east since more than 10000 years
and until the 20th century.
- It has been used for many kinds of programs: settlements, religious buildings, public buildings...
- It has gone through many cultures and has been adapted to local traditions, know-how, climatic conditions.
- The earth is 100% recyclable and most of the time locally available.
- It reduces transport, energy consumption and cost.
- More than 50% of the excavated material can be used in a rammed earth mix.
- It participates to a better air quality by regulating the humidity.
- It can be repaired easily as it is a living material.
- It offers many possibilities of finishings.
- It has been used in earthquake areas.
- It participates to a fair distribution of the building budget, fostering labour more than industrial products.
- It supports and even could create local craftsmanship.
- It can be built with our without technology
- It can be learned easily and reproduced for self-construction in remote areas
- It can participate to avoid the use of air conditioning if associated with passive solutions
- Rammed earth walls are thermal masses allowing to store heat During the day and release it during the
night. Rammed earth is a very strong technic but has to be used only for compression efforts. It has a nominal
strength of around : 2,4N/mm2
2. Why a workshop?
- Architects loose every day their power and influence on the built environment. They are no more but at the
service of big construction companies.
- Our lack of knowledge on the field of construction discredit us
- As well as our lack of engagement . Because, no matter if we want or not but every building we design proposes a vision of a society. S we must engage ourselves with reason, respect and passion.
- It is our responsability to propose a more human process and environment
- Architecture has forgotten the art of building. We prefer to say that things have to change rather than building
this change.
- Learning by doing is a direct and pedagogic way to face the reality of the art of building.
- A building is a complex adventure that requires a complete engagement from the architect on the field. We
should be able to build with local resources (energy, crafts, people).
- A workshop is a perfect way to unlock our minds on what is possible.
3. Who can participate? How to fund?
Different kind of workshop can be prepared:
• For a specific University : students from this university or even from a single studio. Between 10 and 20 is still
possible to handle. The university should be able to fund itself the workshop without asking the students to pay.
In case, a small amount can be asked to the students to help the funding.
• Open workshop: any students from any university (priority to local univesity and architecture students), any
individual, any professional. To fund an open workshop, it is our mission to raise the money (crowd funding,
sponsorship or participants have to pay according to their situation a certain amount to cover the price of the
workshop)
• For a private Organisation (Architecture office, Farm, Collectif, Construction company,...) : a number of 5 to 8
people is prefered. The private organisation should find a way to finance the workshop. (crowd funds, private
fund, sponsorship)
4. What is the workshop program?
• For a specific University:
A theorical part is preferable to start with:
- a 2 hour first class to present the material and the workshop. Launching of the design for the workshop.
Groups of 3 to 5 students are created and each of this group will have to propose a design that might be chosen for the workshop.
- a 2 hours second class where the students can talk with an expert about their ideas, sketches.
- a 2 hours third class where the student should present their proposal and the jury choose one of the option.
- a 2 hours last class where we all together discuss about the choosen project, modify it and start thinking
about how to build it (formwork, tools, foundaitons, materials.. )
The building part should have been decided in advance if it’s one or 2 weeks workshop:
- Before the students arrival to the workshop, there is a very important period of searching the material, making
earth tests to find the good mix with an expert. Find the material for the formwork. Searching for tools. Making
in advance the foundations (if necessary) because they will need to dry before starting the workshop.
- 5 to 10 days of workshop where the students finally experience the material by themselves and feel how
much energy is needed to build even a wall. They will understand that inspiration can come from the material
then they might gain confidence in their own design.
• Open Workshop:
-The theorical part can be reduced to a short presentation of the material before starting the building part. If
desired a theorical part can be organised with the participants. The design can be already prepared before the
start of the workshop. If the participants want to design themself with the expert a theorical part is needed.
-The preparation is the same than for the previous workshop. The building part also.
• For a private organisation:
Same than the Open workshop.
5. Appendix: Presentation and Experiences
Ersen Timur is a french/turkish architect graduated in Lyon in 2012. He passed a year of his studies in the
polytechnical school of Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland. After graduation, he decided to learn more about earth
material. He went to work as a worker for 8 month at Lehmtonerde company whose director is one of the best
rammed earth craftsman nowadays, Martin Rauch. Timur Ersen worked especially on the construction of a
rammed earth facade for a project in Basel for the Ricola candy company. The project was designed by Herzog
& De Meuron and is now one of the largest unstabilized rammed earth building in the world.
After this experience on the building site, he went to a young architect in Germany who believes in the power of
architecture to improove life conditions and bring a more human, fair and beautiful environment, Anna Heringer. After 6 month in her office, he had the opportunity to realize his first project as an architect and builder.
He went to the south west coast of Mexico to build a 70 square meter project for a permaculture center. He
could experiment their some principles that are the base for a more ethic and aesthetic architecture: using local
ressources such as materials and crafts. Combining the local know-how to a contemporary design. This first
project has been nominated for the European Prize for Architecture Philippe Rotthier in 2014 and has been published in several architectural magazines. Since July 2014, he went to live in Turkey to learn the language and
culture and try to engage himself as an architect and earth expert. Through a lecture given at Studio X Istanbul
about earth architecture, he intended to open the debate on the use of traditionnal resources as solutions to
create a sustainable architecture with a meaningful and contemporary design. He realized also in collaboration
with Coline Gauthier a sculpture of rammed earth in Kapadokya as a first experiment in Turkey.
Rammed earth tests in Turkey, Timur Ersen, 2014
Ramed earth Sculpture in Kapadokya by Coline
Gauthier and Timur Ersen, 2014
Rammed earth floor workshop in Mexico by Timur
Ersen, 2014
Rammed earth facade, with Martin Rauch, 2013
6. Contact
To bring further the debate on earth architecture and toward a new sustainable architecture in Turkey, workshop are a necessary way to experiment
and share. Turkey has a tremendous potential in its educational capacity, its
beautiful landscape and earth,. Don’t hesitate to contact me for further information and to organize together a workshop on rammed earth material.
Ersen Timur Architect
www.timurersen.com
timur.ersen@hotmail.fr
+90 (0)537 018 20 31