The Art of Rammed Earth Construction

Building with clay and rammed earth is as old as the history of mankind, yet the material continues to be as modern and contemporary as almost any other building material with regards to its ecological properties and building physics. Martin Rauch was introduced to earthen building not by architecture, but rather through his training and early work as a ceramicist, stove-maker and sculptor.

Within the last 35 years, he and his company, Lehm Ton Erde, have developed and implemented many techniques and projects relating to rammed earth. Crucial in the material’s development is not only continual improvements in production processes and possibilities, but also its establishment within contemporary architecture and aesthetics. Many buildings and installations have been realised in collaboration with international and renowned artists and architectural offices, which has enriched building with earth both from a technical and creative perspective.

The lecture concludes with a dialogue between Martin Rauch & architect Søren Pihlmann, founder of pihlmann architects in Copenhagen. The dialogue is moderated by architect & PhD Heidi Merrild from The Aarhus School of Architecture.

Bio – Martin Rauch

• Born 1958 in Schlins, Vorarlberg, Austria.
• 1978-83 University of Applied Arts, Vienna with masterclass for Ceramic Art under Matteo Thun and Maria Bilger-Perz.
• 1983 diploma “Lehm Ton Erde”, honorary prize of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research.
• Since 1984 design, conception, planning and realisation of earth building projects in Austria and abroad.
• Company foundation of Lehm Ton Erde Baukunst GmbH in 1999.
• Since 1988 solo and group exhibitions in Feldkirch, Meran, Paris, Graz and Venice. Several prizes and awards, among which international prize for sustainable architecture Fassa Bortolo and Clients’ award of the Austrian Zentralvereinigung der Architekten in 2008, the 2011 Holcim Award for a Teaching and Training Centre in Morocco, the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture and la Médaille de l’Innovation technique et constructive, Prix Académie d’Architecture.
• International workshops, in Bangladesh, South Africa, and Austria in co-operation with BASEhabitat.
• Since April 2010 UNESCO Honorary professor at the Chair of Earthen architecture, building cultures and sustainable development and 2014-2016 guest lecturer at Department of Architecture ETH Zurich, together with Anna Heringer.

Bio – Søren Pihlmann

Søren Pihlmann (born 1987) is an architect and the founder of pihlmann architects. As the head of the studio, he has been involved in all aspects of the architectural profession and has thus gained experience in concept development, sketching, project planning, and construction management—ranging from temporary pavilions to large-scale transformations.

He takes pride in exploring new building materials and re-evaluating the use of familiar ones. He investigates the potential of the overlooked, the affordable, and the seemingly worthless, combining these generously based on the inherent qualities of the materials themselves. The result is inviting spaces, rich in artistic sensibility and architectural precision—spaces that emerge when Søren builds with one hand while experimenting with the other, using his voice to communicate the process in a clear and engaging way.

Søren Pihlmann graduated as architect MAA from The Royal Danish Academy in 2014. Amongst other awards he has received Henning Larsens Fonds Honorary Prize, Statens Kunstfonds Arbejdslegat & Dreyer’s Fonds Honorary Prize.