Workshop by Terrapia (adobe bricks)

The workshop on October 4th invites participants to (re)discover the technique of manufacturing adobe bricks (văiugă). Also known as chirpici or unburned brick, it is one of the oldest methods of construction in Romania – and not only. Using only natural materials – earth, sand, straw, water – most often obtained locally, adobe is the basis for countless buildings spread from the region of Banat to the outflow of the Danube into the Sea. Over time, the technique has come to be associated with the vernacular and with old houses; in the current context of the construction domain, with an increasing emphasis on building materials’ industrialization and speed, it is often bypassed.

The workshop proposed by Atelier TERRApia, through facilitator architect Lidia Păcurar, invites to reanalyze the use of earthen bricks in the current context – starting, in this case, by demonstrating the ease of manufacture and the ubiquitous access to the techniques and materials used. The participants will be able to carry out themselves the first steps in the usual course of adobe construction, namely to go through the whole process of making the bricks – from preparing the soil mixture to pouring into molds and preparing the bricks for drying. The bricks made will remain as part of the Beta 2020 exhibition.