Understanding materials for innovation

The know-how of builders rests on the empirical but often profound knowledge of the behaviour of earthen materials. The science, which remains relatively unknown to technicians and scientists, however develops essential theoretic tools to better understand its nature, and to encourage innovation.

• Exhibition Ma terre première
  

Advancing building techniques

The effectiveness of traditional earthen building techniques often rests on systems of social organisation that allow inhabitants to have a strong contribution in the production of their own housing.

CRAterre is inspired by these socially and culturally rich techniques, and proposes the development of building production methods that respond to rapidly changing contemporary contexts.

The Raw material\Building materials theme encompasses three programmes:

• History of building cultures
• Basic research in matter/materials
  
• Building systems and production methods
  
  

The scientific objectives of the Raw material\Building materials theme cover five basic lines:

• Contributing to the history of building, artisanal and corporate cultures, and especially to the study of human ability that control the implementation of correlated materials and techniques (knowledge, ability and know-how); the field covers antiquated building cultures, both traditional and modern.
• Developing a body of knowledge of construction materials, and on traditional and modern production methods (adobe, stone, wood, concrete, natural cements, bamboo, straw and hempen cloth); developing specific research on air as an essential material for the quality of living.
• Better understanding the cultural and environmental components of the materials for the production of local contemporary eco- and environmentally friendly architecture that contributes to the local development of societies (in line with the theme “Housing”);
• Further developing basic research on granular materials (soil); the rheological properties of mud clay, development of new clay cements, changes in phases and energy, so as to contribute to technical and industrial innovation in the field of construction materials for housing (in connection with the “Materials Workshop” of the “City of sustainable (green) construction” project).
• Contributing, through these researches on materials, to the development of conservation practices and the promotion of architectural heritage (in line with the theme “Heritage”).