Eat, Sleep and Play in Australia’s Rammed Earth

Exploring possibilities toward a better future

World-renowned rammed earth experts Meror Krayenhoff and Stephen Dobson have come together to host a unique travel experience. Eat, Sleep and Play in Australia’s rammed earth is a 12-day tour of Western Australia that features over 35 rammed earth buildings and projects.

For SIREWALL founder Meror Krayenhoff, hosting a tour of Australia’s rammed earth is more relevant today than ever before. The main rationale behind his choice to build with rammed earth is climate change. He explains below in these most salient points:
 

Buildings and Climate Change 

Want to make a difference to impact climate change? Why skirt around nibbling at minor issues? Why not distinguish what the biggest target is and get behind changing that? What is the biggest target? Is it driving cars? Flying in planes? Incandescent bulbs? Cleaning up the tar sands? Building more wind generators and solar photovoltaics? What is the best way forward? 
 
The first step is to reduce energy consumption. Buildings consume more energy than all modes of transportation combined. Buildings consume more energy than industry. Since heating and cooling account for over 50% of the energy consumption in a building, then this is a huge area of opportunity. That is the biggest energy target on the planet.
 

Three Distinctions About Climate Change

How can we make the most profound change? Change is desperately needed if life as we know it is to continue going forward. A bright future will require that we embrace three distinctions when thinking about climate change:
 
The first distinction is that we are not going to get out of this mess by consuming our way out.  We will not solve the problem by using the same thinking that got us into it. Which means that despite solar and wind being much better than oil, gas, coal, and nuclear, there is something that trumps changing consumption patterns. And that is to reduce consumption. I know it is not sexy and it is not good for GDP, but the negawatt (the watt no longer needed) is so important.
 
The second distinction is to reduce the stuff we need by only building great things that last.  Despite durability being neglected in every green building standard, it is key to a sustainable future. Building healthy and energy efficient buildings that only last 50 years is an environmental crime, regardless of how many LEED points or Living Future petals are involved. Although we broadly acknowledge that styrofoam cups are not suitable for a bright future, we neglect to shun disposable building products and systems.
 
The third distinction is that we need to move beyond is recycling toward reuse. Our buildings need to be designed so that all of the components can be reused at end of life for the same function. Through this we can virtually eliminate resource extraction and landfilling.
 
This may all seem to be a theoretical discussion, but consider that a well insulated rammed earth building can meet all three of the above distinctions. It is hard to think of another system that meets just two of these distinctions. 
 
So if rammed earth is a likely key to a bright future, where can one go to see it being implemented? Is it realistic? Does it work? What does it feel like to sleep inside rammed earth walls? What is it like to shop, eat, drink wine and view art inside rammed earth walls?

Exploring Possibilities in Western Australia 

Meror sees what is possible for the built environment around the globe. That’s why he has worked with Vision Travel to create an exclusive 12 day / 11-night rammed earth tour covering Margaret River and Perth in Western Australia. The itinerary is designed for you to visit, view, eat, sleep and play in over 35 Rammed Earth structures, while touring this beautiful part of the world with fabulous, beaches, wines, and numerous attractions.
 
Meror Krayenhoff will be your host throughout this experience, sharing his inspirations and ideas for rammed earth construction around the world. Special guest Stephen Dobson, a founder of Ramtec and of Australia’s modern rammed earth building to share his insights on selected projects during the tour. Mike Krayenhoff, Meror’s wife and professional photographer, will assist you to capture the best photographs of your holiday. Being surrounded by visionaries and other deep green leaders like yourself, the tour will undoubtedly leave you feeling empowered and inspired for the future.  Learn more about the tour and what you will experience through this Virtual Travel Talk Webinar.
 

Book Now! 

Ask for a detailed itinerary and confirm your space by October 15 on this February 13 – 24, 2015 tour today by contacting Yvonne Pelletier Paul at Vision Travel at 1-250-204-3332. Registration is limited to 15 guests.
 

Commercial Project Consulting

Will SIREWALL technology work in a specific new location?  Is the local soil capable of producing the strengths necessary for the project?  Can the architectural intent be achieved with SIREWALL?  Will the engineers be able to work with this system and will the local building inspector approve of the use of SIREWALL?  Can the local tradespeople work easily with this technology?  How do I ensure a good outcome for the SIREWALL portion of the project?  Questions like these are addressed in our consulting services, which are delivered in 3 phases. Recent consulting projects are highlighted below.

Corporate Headquarters, Islamabad, Pakistan 

Terra Firma Builders has begun consulting work on a large commercial project that features a 100’ high SIREWALL rammed earth tower, an impressive feature shown in the rendering below. An additional 8’ tall, 1km long SIREWALL boundary will wrap around the property and the 250,000 sq ft corporate office. The corporate headquarters is in a large development that features street lighting that is exclusively powered by photovoltaic solar.

 
To manage such a massive project, the company built quarters to house 300 workers and added a store and a mosque. The company also has its own concrete batch plant and a soils/geotechnical lab on site. Many gravel trucks and concrete trucks never leave the site.

 
This project follows the recent construction of the massive Brinton Museum in Big Horn Wyoming, which features 51' tall loadbearing SIREWALL, constructed by Terra Firma Builders. The project will be completed in the spring and progress on the build can be viewed on the Museum’s Facebook page. 
 

Climate Changed Wildfires

The Perfect Storm

Over the summer, communities across North America experience fire season… once again. Fires razed forests, communities were evacuated, homes were destroyed.
 
While this trend grows year after year, the US National Forest Service has estimated a full one-third of homes across the West were in fire-risk areas and many will burn. The irony is that over 99% of those homes will be rebuilt using similar combustible materials. The same materials susceptible to fire are used to rebuild and will have the potential be destroyed once again.
 
A viable technology already exists to rebuild non-combustible homes that would save a lot of heartache. 

Click here to read more in Meror's blog: Challenging Inertia.