Workshop Archive

The workshop took place at the thechnical school HTL1 ‘construction and design’ in Linz. Thirty students and five teachers from the technical school were introduced to earth as a building material, combining theory and practice. It is an important step to spread the knowledge about earth construction to other sectors of the construction sector.

Fungal mycelium is the thread-like root structure of fungi. Its positive properties such as good insulation values and lightness could be tested in the workshop. Participants gained their first practical experience with mycelium as a building material.

In a reed workshop, students and external participants were able to test how a roof is built from reeds. 1:1 samples were built at the Sumerauerhof.

Hemp-lime is a biocomposite that holds high potential in promoting decarbonization, advancing sustainability in the construction and insulation sector, and embracing circular economy principles. One of its notable advantages is the ability to utilize locally sourced raw materials, making it adaptable to different regions and continents. In a workshop students could test this interesting material.

At the Sumerauerhof, international BASEhabitat students were able to learn the basics of earth building. Various techniques were tried out, from light earth to rammed earth, there was space for various tests and samples.

In the BASElab at Sumerauerhof, BASEhabitat Master students spent two days working with the traditional building material lime. The aim was to get to know the material, to build walls with lime mortar, to try out different plasters and to experiment with different floor constructions with lime.

Students and guests were able to gain their first experience of building with straw bales in a workshop at the company Sonnenklee.

In preparation for a construction site in Vorarlberg, students in Linz tested various wall structures made of light clay. In addition to straw, wood chips were mixed with clay slurry and used in a test wall. The same wall structure was later used in Hägi Wendl’s project.

The rammed earth floor in the afo (Architekturforum Oberösterreich) was damaged by water. The floor was repaired in a workshop with students. A good example of how flexible rammed earth is for repairs.