BELIEVE IN THE LOVE AND SPIRIT OF THE CHURCH
AN INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY FOR ALL WHO
Our Mission
To advance and promote earthen construction
Our Vision
Earthen construction will be an established mainstream building technology
​
Earthen structures are as old as human history, and some are among the most well known structures on the planet, like the Alhambra and portions of China's Great Wall. ECI was founded by a group of people who appreciate adobe, rammed earth, compressed earth block, cob, and other earthen styles for their sheer beauty, but we also believe that these ancient technologies have much to offer modern humans in terms of comfort, health, and environmental resiliency. ECI exists to bring earthen construction into the mainstream by developing standards and best practices, through research to understand and improve earthen construction, by providing quality resources, and through educational programs and training.
​
You are welcome to join us at our monthly board meetings held the first Tuesday of each month, followed by our Members Present! series, where ECI members and friends give presentations and demos on various aspects of earthen construction and sustainable practices.
Earthen Construction News
We are proud of our accomplishments in advancing earthen construction in central Texas and beyond. Here's news on the progress of ECI initiatives, publications, and upcoming events.
.png)
Notification From The President
If you are reading this, you likely have an interest in earthen construction. Maybe you are already active in a project and have dried mud under your fingernails. In whatever stage of interest you find yourself, if you want to learn more, and from some of the world’s leaders in earthen construction, you should make plans to attend Earth USA 2024 in September.
Earth USA 2024 is the 12th International Conference on Architecture and Construction with earthen materials. It will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico from Friday, September 13th through Sunday, September 15th. Topics include materials and methods that includes clay as a binder. So if you are interested in adobe, compressed earth blocks, rammed earth, and even cob, you won’t find a larger and most inspiring gathering of the most notable designers and practitioners in the field in the Western Hemisphere.
Sponsored by Adobe in Action www.adobeinaction.org , the conference will feature podium presentations, a Friday evening speaker meet and greet, and an offering of workshops and tours in the Santa Fe area. Earthen Construction Initiative is a co-sponsor of the event. Online registration opens in June. For more information, www.earthusa.org
By the way, ECI wouldn’t have existed if not for an impromptu conversation among three Earth USA conference attendees from central Texas back in 2015 when the idea for this organization began.
Stephen Colley, ECI President
​
April 5, 2024
Earth USA is a perfect opportunity to meet with others in the industry to find out what works, bounce ideas off of, and otherwise general networking.
Auditorium presentations are at the heart of each Earth USA conference. All attendees also receive a copy of the presentation papers from each of the presenters.
Effective October 1, 2018,
the City of San Antonio approved ECI's suggested amendments
adding earthen construction
to the City's building code.
Read Jen Wong's article
on some exciting recent examples
of unfired earth construction
in Texas.
​
