As part of the 22nd Grains d'Isère Festival, workshops open to registration are being organised to discover and experiment with earth as a material. These workshops are being run as part of ENSAG's post-master's programme in ‘Earthen architecture, building cultures and sustainable development’, with the support of AE&CC, Les Grands Ateliers and CRAterre.
Students, teachers, professionals: come and explore earth as a building material and discover its potential in the face of the effects of climate hazards.
PROGRAMME
Through various practical workshops offered by Post-Master students accompanied by ENSAG teaching staff and professionals, you will be introduced to different raw earth construction techniques. In addition to the pleasure of discovering the range of building solutions offered by raw earth, you will be able to discuss and debate the many advantages of this material, which has been used on every continent for 11,000 years.
1. ELEMENTERRE WORKSHOP
The ElemenTerre workshops introduce participants to the properties of earth as a material, helping them to understand why and how it is possible to build with raw earth. Through a series of interactive and counter-intuitive experiments on granular matter, participants are invited to carry out simple scientific experiments to discover the composition and properties of earth, a material that is so common yet so little known.
2. PRACTICAL AND EXPLORATORY WORKSHOPS
This workshop offers you a hands-on immersion in the earth material, giving you a physical understanding of its many uses. Through constructive explorations designed by ENSAG's DSA Earth Architecture students, you will be able to use earth in different ways and explore different ideas:
- To what extent could raw earth help to cope with the heatwave by keeping interior spaces naturally cooler? Techniques used: adobe and vaults or arches.
- To what extent does experiential learning of traditional earthquake-resistant techniques contribute to their understanding? Techniques used: reinforced earth.
- To what extent does the use of bio-polymers or relief on sacrificial plaster make it possible to preserve the existing heritage from the effects of increasingly heavy or recurrent rainfall? Techniques used: adobe, wattle & daub, plaster.
- To what extent is prestressed earth a credible alternative for use in seismic and cyclonic contexts? The hypothesis of this workshop is that a frugal technique, combining raw earth, wood and steel, could significantly improve the mechanical performance of a raw earth construction.
3. PLASTER WORKSHOP
This workshop, led by Sylvie WHEELER and Lui ENOMOTO, invites you to discover and experiment with different clay plaster techniques, exploring their uses and textures, as well as their aesthetic and ecological qualities. Whether you're a beginner or just curious, you'll have the chance to get to grips with the basics of this traditional and sustainable practice.
Practical information
Dates: 26 to 30 May 2025
Venue: Les Grands Ateliers, Villefontaine (38)
Registration until 12 May 2025 here
Price per person/5 days: €150
