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 "A
WHOLISTIC BUILDER, that is what Quentin is!" said
a recent attendee of one of the periodic Rammit
Yourself workshops. And he is right.
Thirty years ago as he was developing his technique
for building with earth, Quentin earned his living
as an organic farmer and a physics teacher. These
three areas of expertise dovetail perfectly to make
him the best source of advice for constructing,
literally, from the ground up.
If you click
here you will see a series of pictures and information
on the step by step process that Quentin is using
as he builds his retirement home in Oracle Arizona.
Starting with a half acre lot, he has already graded
the land and built catchments for water collection.
Water which is already in use through the use of
a solar pumping system, to irrigate the newly planted
orchard and vegetable garden.
Thirty years ago, with my 9-year-old son working
by my side, I built my first direct gain, passive
solar, rammed earth home. This is the primary and
purist way to use rammed earth - simple, sturdy,
environmentally sound and affordable. It remains
my favorite, and out of this comes my desire to
teach rammed earth construction to romantic do-it-yourselfers,
and to build simple homes for those with affordability
in mind.
Over the years, I have also come to admire the use
of rammed earth as an emerging art medium, filled
with sculptural potential.
The expanding expertise and professionalism of my
crew members has allowed us to produce a wide variety
of sculptural architecture, such as the massive
Univision TV network complex in Phoenix, custom
homes throughout the Southwest, zoo walls, churches
and public art projects.
These are often daring statements that introduce
unique engineering challenges.
With each job, I realize that the design and
building capacity of rammed earth is apparently
unlimited.
It is always a pleasure to review architectural
drawings to consult and ensure that they translate
into beautiful, strong, rammed earth structures.
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