Earth and Timber: Prototyping at Yale University

Exploring regional timber resources as well as excavated earth from a local construction site, the team developed two components to form an assembly: a dowel-laminated timber beam and an unstabilised compressed earth block. The timber beams were used as spanning elements, the earth blocks were designed to form a load-bearing arch. With a span of 135 cm between the beams, the assembly uses both materials true to their inherent natural properties.

By eliminating both the use of glue for the beams, and of mortar to create the arch, the assembly has a high potential for circularity. All components were sourced within a 200 km radius and fabricated into a net carbon-negative building component.

The prototype was presented as part of the Building a Planetary Solution: Regenerative Architectural Strategies for a Planet in Crisis Symposium at Yale, which brought together researchers from around the world to discuss approaches to addressing climate change through the built environment. Bauhaus Earth, GOA, and the Yale School of Architecture will continue to optimise the prototype in future research projects.