Natural Materials Lab: Making with Earth

The Natural Materials Lab, led by Assistant Professor Lola Ben-Alon at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (Columbia GSAPP), presents the exhibition Making with Earth: Digital and Manual Craft using Earthen Materials in Building at 1014. The work on display explores research on a range of earth-based natural mixtures that combine plant fibers and biological additives completed as part of Lola Ben-Alon’s Spring 2023 “Making with Earth” course. The exhibition features work by GSAPP students Priscilla Auyeung, Willy Cao, Ting-Hao Chen, Linda Deng, Paul Edward Liu, Armita Peirovani, Neil Potnis, Zhuofei Tang, Justin Wan, Weiwei Wang, Yifei Yuan, Chan Zhang, Clara Zhao, Zixiao Zhu, Runxin Fu, Wenjing Xue, Jacky Tian, Sixuan Chen, Yvonne Fu, Yichun Liu, Daniel Vanderhorst, Charlie Liu, Xiyu Li, and Yuli Wang. The public is invited to register to join walk-throughs of the show on Monday, May 1, and Wednesday, May 3, from 12–2pm. 

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Architectural League of New York will host a panel discussion among Lola Ben-Alon, Lisa Morey, Ronald Rael, and Tommy Schaperkotter on April 28 focusing on natural earth- and fiber-based building materials, their manual and digitally-driven fabrication, life cycles, and supply chains, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using earthen materials in construction, renovation, and mass/insulation. The entrance is free, but registration is required; please note this event has reached the maximum number of registered attendees.

Earthen materials are low carbon, ubiquitous, and low cost. Structures of raw earth, built without cement or synthetic stabilizers, have the potential to minimize embodied fuel and carbon emissions from chemical, industrial, and thermal processing. Non-commodified and readily available, earth materials are also in the essence of traditional construction methods, which are increasingly pushed outside codes and practices due to industrial export, colonialism, and material powers. 

This exhibition concludes a semester-long exploration that engaged with the histories, chemistry, durability challenges, and futuristic application possibilities of earth materials. The work on display resulted from a deep dive into the hands-on development of designs comprising earth-based mixes and fabrication processes ranging from digital 3D printing and mechanical pressing to manual craft. Inspiration was drawn from traditional techniques such as adobe, rammed earth, cob, clay plasters, and straw bale construction while speculating the future of earth materialities. The work demonstrates a careful consideration of each material’s performance and environmental benefits, technical details, and fabrication processes.

Free and open to the public. The exhibition and discussion are organized by Lola Ben-Alon and co-hosted by 1014, Columbia GSAPP Natural Materials Lab, and the Architectural League of New York with support from DWIH—The German Center for Research and Innovation.

The Natural Materials Lab at Columbia GSAPP promotes equitable design using natural, readily available, low-carbon, non-toxic, and uncalcined building materials. The Lab fosters research and teaching that crafts new ways to understand and imagine socially equitable and environmentally sustainable futures, by fostering connections across the arts, humanities, and engineering.