Notes

One of the most complete and up to date (2010) handbooks around this subject available.

This volume is loosely based on the German
publication Das neue Lehmbau-Handbuch
(Publisher: Ökobuch Verlag, Staufen), first
published in 1994 and now in its sixth
edition. Of this publication a Spanish and
a Russian edition have also appeared.
While this is first and foremost a technical
book, the introductory chapter also provides
the reader with a short survey on the history
of earth architecture. In addition it describes
the historical and future roles of earth as a
building material, and lists all of the signifi-
cant characteristics that distinguish earth
from common industrialised building materi-
als. A major recent discovery, that earth can
be used to balance indoor climate, is
explained in greater detail.
The book's final chapter deserves special
mention insofar as it depicts a number of
representative earth buildings from various
regions of the world. These constructions
demonstrate the impressive versatility of
earth architecture and the many different
uses of the building material earth.
Kassel, February 2006
Gernot Minke