Gernot Minke – författare

Earth, in common use for architectural construction for thousands of years, has in the past thirty years attracted renewed attention as a healthy, environment-friendly and economical building material. What needs to be considered in this context? The manual Building with Earth, which has been translated into many languages, describes the building technology of this material. The physical properties and characteristic values are explained in a hands-on manner: with proper moisture protection, earth buildings are very durable, and in particular the combination with wood or straw allows a wide spectrum of design options. Numerous built examples demonstrate the range of applications for this fully recyclable material. Fifth and revised edition of the reference work on rammed earth construction With seven new and relevant international case studies Many drawings illustrate various construction methods

Building with straw bales is a technique pioneered a century ago in the state of Nebraska. In recent years there has been a renaissance in the use of straw as a building material largely in the American Southwest, but also in Canada, Australia, France, Holland, Germany, Austria and China. Straw is a renewable resource with excellent insulating properties. It is a cheap and easy-to-use option for self-builders, and even large-scale structures can be erected using timber framework filled with straw. This book is a practical, hands-on guide to building with straw. Fire safety, protection against moisture, damp, pests and parasites are treated in detail. Numerous on-site photos document the process of assembly and construction step by step.30 exemplary international projects illustrate the wide spectrum of design possibilities with straw.

Als Baumaterial der warmen Klimazonen erfreut sich Bambus eines wachsenden Interesses unter Architekten der nördlichen Hemisphäre: Bambus hat bei großer Stabilität nicht nur ein geringes Gewicht und ist ausgesprochen elastisch, sondern ist auch reichlich verfügbar. Die Anwendungsbereiche von Bambus in der Architektur haben sich erheblich diversifiziert, sodass heute sogar weitgespannte Konstruktionen wie Brücken daraus gebaut werden. Bambuswerkstoffe, zu denen an renommierten Hochschulen wie der ETH Zürich oder der SUTD in Singapur geforscht wird, haben ebenso die Verwendung erweitert. Die Neuausgabe bietet einen systematischen Überblick über die Einsatzmöglichkeiten und Verarbeitungstechniken dieses nachwachsenden Materials. Die Präsentation von wegweisenden Bambusbauten wurde durch neuere Projekte aktualisiert.