There is a wealth of earthen architectural heritage worldwide—from historic city centers and vernacular cultural landscapes to some of the world's largest archaeological sites. Conserving this patrimony is a formidable task that requires sustained commitment, interdisciplinary effort, and international cooperation. The Getty Conservation Institute seeks to address the complex challenge of conserving earthen architecture through the Earthen Architecture Initiative. This initiative draws on the Institute's long-standing commitment to the conservation of earthen architecture and on expertise gained through past activities and research projects (see the Terra Project) in the field of earthen architecture.
Project Objectives
The Earthen Architecture Initiative seeks to further the conservation of earthen architecture through international activities in the areas of training, research, planning and implementation, and advocacy.
Major components include:
Development of Didactic Materials
To promote the academic study of earthen architecture, the Earthen Architecture Initiative is developing and testing teaching methods and materials specific to the conservation of earthen architecture and archaeological sites. Using didactic materials originally developed for the Terra Project's Pan-American courses on the Conservation and Management of Earthen Architectural and Archaeological Heritage (PAT96 and PAT99) the Earthen Architecture Initiative is currently working with a group of educators from Latin America to adapt and expand these materials to meet the current needs of the region.
Seismic Stabilization Research
Earthen architecture is particularly vulnerable to damage from earthquakes. The GCI's Earthen Architecture Initiative is involved in research to identify and develop effective seismic retrofit measures with minimal impact to historic fabric. In 2006, the Earthen Architecture Initiative convened two meetings (April 2006 and September 2006) at the Getty Center, focused on the implementation of the Getty's seismic research and on the identification of further research needed in the study of historic earthen architecture in seismic zones.
The current research builds on the work of the Getty Seismic Adobe Project (GSAP), which evaluated the effectiveness of a range of seismic retrofit measures. Results of this earlier research can be found in the following publications:
A video of shake-table testing
conducted by the GSAP project is also available.
Convening Experts Meetings
The Earthen Architecture Initiative seeks to play an important role in the dissemination of knowledge by organizing international meetings of experts, often in partnership with other institutions. Recent meetings organized in partnership with other institutions include:
The GCI is currently organizing the 10th International Conference on the Study and Conservation of Earthen Architecture with the Ministry of Culture of Mali. The conference, scheduled for February 2008 in Bamako, Mali, West Africa, is expected to draw up to three hundred international specialists in the field of earthen architecture and related disciplines.
Last updated: May 2008
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