Innovative Earth Projects and Products
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Neutra House
Location: Valladolid
Architects: Noro Arquitectos
Photos: Judith Casas
Construction solution for the earth walls by Fetdeterra, installed with a continuous vertical joint. Built using large-format earth blocks Tapialblock® 8/100/15 + Tapialblock® 40/100/15 and Fetdeterra plaster mortar for the upper and lower sections of the windows.
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Neutrale Store. Calle Rec 41, Barcelona
Architects: DIIR
Small-format earth blocks Tapialblock® 10/20/10 from Fetdeterra, installed with a continuous vertical joint to create the curved wall, fitting rooms, and store counter.
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Project: Residential accommodation for young professionals. Dartford, Kent
Architect: Moll architect
Image: @be.maarch
The predominant material of the façade is rammed earth, Tapialblock ® by Fetdeterra.
Prefabricated blocks of large format of up to 1m in length are assembled forming masonry planes.
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Camping Alfacs. Tarragona.
ARCHITECTS: Bajetgirame + Jaas Arquitectos
TECHNICAL ARCHITECTURE: Elena Baudillo
COLLABORATION: Marina Miró, Joan Gou, Jordi Oliveras, Lea Atelier
Large-format earth blocks Tapialblock® 20/100/15 and 8/100/15 from @fetdeterra used in façades and the interiors of the service buildings.
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Client: Conren Tramway
Architect: @batlleiroig
Technical Architect: @plaat_at
Area: 14,150.00 m²
Tapialblock Products: 8/100/15 for façades, terraces, and the lobby.
A100 is an office building with LEED Platinum certification, located in the 22@ district of Barcelona. Its design, led by the architecture studio @batlleiroig, stands out for its innovative layout. The project, consisting of a ground floor plus 8 levels, will feature two volumes made of different materials, including large-format earth blocks from @fetdeterra, which will be used in the ventilated façade as well as in the 16-meter-high lobby interior. Additionally, the open ground floor will connect the urban green space with the building’s private courtyard.
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Fetdeterra Pavilion
Location: Liveable Cities in Dubai
Architects: Fetdeterra
Local collaborators: Bone Architects, Green Coast Real Estate
Prefabricated large-format earth blocks Tapialblock® 40/100/15cm for walls and flooring
Tapialblock® 8/100/15cm and 10/20/10 for the lattice
New Fetdeterra headquarters for the United Arab Emirates. We present our earth construction system, a sustainable and innovative solution that reflects our commitment to responsible architecture and eco-friendly construction.
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1st PRIZE
SOCIAL HOUSING 38 APARTMENTS IN PALMA DE MALLORCA.
VIVAS ARCHITECTS
Promoter: IBAVI
The jury considers that the two sites are resolved with a high level of quality.
The structural system and the facade of the building are made with prefabricated earth blocks, Tapialblock from Fetdeterra. As a result, the IBAVI ideas competition becomes the trigger to introduce a technological innovation with low environmental impact in the Balearic industry, since the team is committed to manufacturing the product on the island.
In both projects the distribution is orderly and the ability to resolve the corner naturally has been assessed, without causing distortions either to the floor or to the facades. The chamfer goes unnoticed and the distribution produces a very clean piece, with ordered elevations and with a single-window module that facilitates and speeds up the execution.
The houses have living rooms-kitchen-dining rooms with two galleries, one in each orientation, which guarantee passive air renewal in winter
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House in Rupià
Walls made with prefabricated earth blocks Tapialblock® 8/100/15 and lattice with Tapialblock® 15/100/15
Architects: Nordest arquitectura
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Fetdeterra develops the technical prescriptions for the executive project of the in-situ earth walls, with earth reuse.
We define the construction details, technical characteristics of materials and equipment, the formwork system and the quality control program.
Laboratory tests necessary for the characterization of available earth and formulation of material for use in the earth walls.
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@boscodelobos_grupotragaluz restaurant https://www.instagram.com/grupotragaluz/
Diagonal 605 (interior). Barcelona
Rammed earth Blocks, Tapialblock® from @fetdeterra, 1 meter long and 15 cm high, for interior and exterior walls, for the reception bar, and the large open kitchen, creating pleasant spaces with a cosmopolitan atmosphere where you can enjoy Italian cuisine.
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Project @casavells_estudio
Architects @jacobovalenti y @carbeloa
Prefabricated earth blocks Tapialblock® from @fetdeterra, structural blocks, large format 40x100x15 cm. Blocks seen from the outside and inside
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Casa Artiga (under construction)
Location: El Vallès, Barcelona.
Architects: Atheleia Arquitectura
Photos: @atheleia_arquitectura
Large format prefabricated earth blocks from fetdeterra
Tapialblock® 15/100/15cm for facade, with break-joint, and Tapialblock® 8/100/15cm for interior walls, with coinciding vertical joint.
Joint finishes are raked horitzontal joint and flushed vertical joint
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La Casa dels vents. House in Sa Pobla. Mallorca
Architects: Nora studio
Photographs: Ricardo Lopez
Facades with precast earthen blocks Tapialblock® 8/100/15 cm
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Finca in Mallorca.
Project for @the_creationroom
Architects: @moredesign.es
Structural walls for the façade with prefabricated blocks of earth Tapialblock® 20/100/15 and Tapialblock® 40/100/15 for exterior path. All made in Mallorca with the earth of the island, to minimize the environmental impact and increase the landscape integration of the work.
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Housing building. Gomila
Palma de Mallorca
Architects: MVRDV + GRAS Reynés Arquitectos
Fetdeterra products used in the construction site.
Tapialblock® 8/100/15 prefabricated earthen blocks for the two facades of the building, 30 x 30 x 2.5 cm earthen tiles for terraces, community entrances and stairs, and earthen paint for the walls.
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Panista Bakery
Architects: Zooco Estudio
Location: Santander, Spain
Year: 2022
Photography: Imagen Subliminal (Miguel de Guzmán + Rocío Romero)
Materials used from Fetdeterra
Large size prefabricated rammedearth block Tapialblock® 8x100x15cm
Small size prefabricated rammedearth block Tapialblock® 10x20x12cm
Earth painting
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1st Prize competition
“48 a Repartir” Social housing pilot project in Alcoy
Architects @estudi_biga @martisarda.arquitectes @arqbag
Image @araustudio
Structural earthen walls with Tapialblock®
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Outdoor Pavilions in Camping els Alfacs in Alcanar. Tarragona 2021.
Architects: Bajetgirame
Co-authors with Jaas architects
Built by Fabrapaga
Photos by Joan Guillamat
Three new and old pavilions around a garden—built with rammed earth blocks Tapialblock® 100 x 20 x 15 cm, water-blasted concrete pillars and traditional renderings—contain renewed outdoor camping facilities.
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HOUSE 1931
Architects: NordEst arquitectura
Tapialblock 10 x 20 x 10 cm
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INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUE AND MATERIAL FOR THE RESTORATION OF EARTH WALLS WITH ALIVE EARTHBLOCK BY FETDETERRA
Precast block of raw earth with controlled erosion
AUTHORS
Maite Sainz de la Maza Benet. Architect
Macari De Torres Mestres. Geologist engineer
Co-founders of Fetdeterra SL. Accredited advisers in Eco-innovation, product design and technological development.
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REFURBISHMENT AND EXTENSION OF THE NEW CITY COUNCIL. IVARS D’URGELL
AUTHORS
MAITE SAINZ DE LA MAZA BENET. Architect
MACARI DE TORRES MESTRES. Geologist engineer
Co-founders of fetdeterra SL. Accredited advisers in eco-innovation, product design and technological development.
INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUE AND MATERIAL FOR THE RESTORATION OF EARTH WALLS WITH ALIVE EARTHBLOCK BY FETDETERRA
EROSION CONTROLLED RAW EARTH PREFABRICATED BLOCK
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CA S’ALOU. Mallorca
Architects: Munarq
Earth paint Fetdeterra®
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THE HOUSE OF THE GROWING ROOM
(Before Villa Isabel – 1928) 2017-2020, Sevilla.
Architects: @more_studio_arquitecturas | Daniel Espada (@daniojen) and Fernando Moral.
Technical architect: Juan Manuel Navarro.
Collaborators: Fabiola Visedo and Emilio Ferrín
Structures Consultant: @calconsa
Photographs: @daniojen
Construction company: Area Tecnica.2 SL, construction management.
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Project: “La casa de la Ruina”
Architects: Dezain architects
Image: Pere Font
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Single family house in Balaguer
Architect: Mercè Bosch Roma
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Drafting of technical requirements for the executive project for onsite earth walls, with earth reuse. We defined the construction details, technical characteristics of materials and equipment, formwork system, quality control program and budget.
The project P.A.R.C presented by INLANDSIS with Adria Escolano and David Steegmann won the competition del Parc del Nord de Sabadell has been selected for 1st prize among 33 proposals. The proposed design aims to recover the ancient Torrent del Capellà, today occupied by residual anthropic constructions, as the natural corridor for water and biodiversity in the north of Sabadell. The regenerated landscape, is grounded in a topographic reconfiguration whereby depressions are designed for water retention and are outlined by a woodland landscape. This sunken area frames the park’s central path and creates the core space for recreation and activities. Raised areas at the interface with the urban realm include Mediterranean woodland planting which borders the entrances to the neighborhoods in proximity to the park. At the intersections between the central promenade and the perpendicular connecting paths, agenesis of minimal architectures will assemble the park’s activities. These evolving structures are designed to be able to grow and incorporate technological advances according to park users demands now and into the future.
http://www.inlandsis.space/news/2019/1/4/parc-wins-first-prize-parc-del-nord-sabadell
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43 SOCIAL HOUSING
ARCHITECTS. Marta Peris, José Toral
CLIENT. Balearic Institute of Habitat.IBAVI
LOCATION. Calle 18, Ibiza
SURFACE. 3,863.75 m2
Photography: Jesús Granada
All structural walls and interior divisions are made with TAPIALBLOCK ® 10/20/10 precast blocks. The building breaks down into three aggregate units of three to four homes per landing. All types have double orientation and the interior patios are covered by a solar atrium.
Structure: The structure is made with the Tapialblock® System 10/20/10, joined with the Fetdeterra base lime mortar
The thickness of the structural walls is 20 cm placed according to the Flemish rigging. The locking walls are 20 cm in case of separation between dwellings, thus guaranteeing, through their mass, the requirements of CTE_HR, and 10 cm in case of separation of interior spaces within the same dwelling, both made with Tapialblock ®.
Facades: The exterior facades are formed by the bearing walls of the Tapialblock ® System, viewed from the inside and covered with exterior insulation for the facade with natural cork and natural lime mortar finish
Reduced heating demand: Heat collection is increased by direct solar radiation from the collector galleries. The air renewal system will be through the collector atriums that use the air preheated by the greenhouse effect, increasing the internal temperature by convection. Both the external insulation and the inertia of the load-bearing walls made with the TAPIALBLOCK ® system allow, by conduction, to conserve the comfort temperature.
Reduced demand for refrigeration: The houses have cross ventilation in the direction of the prevailing winds and a constant airflow generated by the solar chimney of the patios. Inertia allows cooling the earth’s walls at night. The use of materials with good hygrothermal behavior, such as compacted earth, helps to regulate the humidity in the home, improving the thermal sensation.
Energy impact of materials: Materials with low incorporated energy are used, which can be reduced, recycled and reused in order to increase the closing of cycles of the materials. They are materials, like earth, that contribute to maximum hygrothermal comfort. Global CO emissions are reduced by 58%.
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NEW HEADQUARTERS OF PUKAS SURF
Architects: BetaØ architecture office
Drafting of technical requirements for the executive project of in-situ earth walls, with earth reuse. We defined the construction details, technical characteristics of materials and equipment, formwork system, quality control program and budget.
Laboratory tests necessary for the characterization of available earth and formulation of material for use in earth walls.
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MIBI yoga center
C/ d’Hereter 31, Sant Just Desvern (Barcelona)
Architect: Elisabetta Carnevale
Technical architect: David Pradas Ruiz
Construction company: COECO coop
Photographer: André Roseira Costa
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PASSIVE HOUSE IN MATARRAÑA. Teruel
Architects: Zest architecture
The location is in Matarraña, a beautiful natural area in Aragon. The clients found an exceptional place with beautiful views where they are authorized to build a house of 300 square meters.
The house will be completely self-sufficient, with photovoltaic panels in a separate building for the garage, with a geothermal installation for underfloor heating and cooling, and will have a saltwater pool. Thick rammed earth walls in the building provide thermal mass and create excellent comfort conditions all the year. These walls will be built with the earth from the excavations of the house and the pool.
Fetdeterra develops the technical prescriptions for the executive project of the in-situ earth walls, with earth reuse. We define the construction details, technical characteristics of materials and equipment, the formwork system and the quality control program. Laboratory tests necessary for the characterization of available earth and formulation of material for use in the earth walls.
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20è curset d’arquitectura popular
September 28th and 29th. 2019
The course focuses on the rehabilitation of the rammed earth walls, with a theoretical part and another practice by the professors of Fetdeterra, Maite Sainz de la Maza and Macari de Torres.
The methodology used in this restoration, consisted of the characterization of the earth and the formulation of the new material, and the development of a Erodible Tapialblock, where controlled erosion was applied until have the same texture as the original wall, with a total integration of the material into the wall, which allows the elimination of materials introduced in old restorations, such as ceramic blocks or cement mortars , to avoid possible pathologies and recover the original image and aesthetics of the rammed earth walls.
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ADVANCED RAMMED EARTH WORKSHOP
BC architectsandstudies. BC materials
5-9 August. 2019
Brussels
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Rammed earth walls refurbish Castell del Remei
Architect: Maite Sainz de la Maza Benet. Fetdeterra
Geological engineer: Macari de Torres. Fetdeterra
Renovation wineries Castell del Remei with the new ERODIBLE TAPIALBLOCK, controlled erosion earth block to get full integration with the texture of the existing rammed earth wall.
The methodology used in this restoration, consisted of the characterization of the earth and the formulation of the new material, and the development of an Erodible Tapialblock, where controlled erosion was applied until having the same texture as the original wall, with total integration of the material into the wall, which allows the elimination of materials introduced in old restorations, such as ceramic blocks or cement mortars, to avoid possible pathologies and recover the original image and aesthetics of the rammed earth walls.
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Bill Viola Museum.
Location: La Plana del Corb. Balaguer
Promoter: Sorigué Foundation
Date: 2018
Bill Viola. Ocean Without a Shore
This piece from the internationally renowned pioneer in video art lands in Spain for the first time and has been installed defitively in PLANTA, making it the first permanent installation of this innovative project from Sorigué
The work is installed inside a completely renovated building. The interior space that houses the installation has been built with materials from the Sorigué gravel pit, with an innovative System based on the circular economy.
The artist said “Ocean Without a Shore deals with the presence of the dead in our lives. In a dark room, the three altars on which the screens are placed become portals for the passage of dead to and from our world”
To recreate the work, a specific room has been built to accommodate it. This structure is the result of research project developed between Sorigué and the FETDETERRA architecture study, under criteria of sustainability, innovation and circular economy.
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Nobu Hotel Barcelona
Architects: Rockwell Group
Landscape Architecture: Aeland
Date: 2019
Location: Sants square. Barcelona
Products: Tapialblock MC + mortero base
The hotel is located close to the charming neighbourhood of Eixample giving guests a genuinely Catalan feel of the city. Located near Plaza de España and just a mere stroll away from high-speed rail links and conference center Fira de Barcelona.
Naturally organic materials blended with refined Japanese nuances craft your urban respite while capturing the vibrant energy and colorful character of Barcelona.
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Promoter: ITEC. Construction Technology Institute
Prototype development: Fetdeterra
Bloc-replastic is a project led by the Construction Technology Institute of Catalonia (ITeC) and subsidized by the Catalonia Waste Agency (ARC), with the participation of Eurecat and Fetdeterra, within the call for aid for the projects execution that promote the circular economy.
Plastic waste represents approximately a total of 0.3 million tons per year in Catalonia and 25.1 million tons per year in Europe. Some of these residues can be valued to improve the thermal behavior of some products and reduce the environmental impact. In this line, the Bloc-replastic project will reach the market to reduce and value plastic waste as building materials.
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Project: Fetdeterra Construmat 2017 stand
Developer: Fetdeterra
Architect: Maite Sainz de la Maza Benet. Fetdeterra
Engineering geologist: Macari de Torres. Fetdeterra
Date and location: May 2017. Barcelona
Products: Tapialblock LC
Photography: Ariel Ramírez
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Accredited Consultants: Fetdeterra
Awards:
1st Prize: Construmat – 2017
1st Prize: Bioarquitectura del Mediterrani – BAM – 2017
Finalists for the Catalunya d’Ecodisseny Award – 2017
Finalists for the NAN Architecture and Construction Award – 2017
“Cupons a l’ecoinnovació” Program. Research Project subsidized by ACCIO (Business Competitiveness Agency) and the Department of Territory and Sustainability of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Manufacturing, curing, and palletizing of a prefabricated earth block of large dimensions.
The final aim of the research is to develop a prefabricated earth block of large dimensions in order to provide a viable alternative to the construction of traditional rammed earth walls, improving performance and quality control.
The study focuses on the manufacturing, curing, and palletizing of a prefabricated earth block measuring 100 x 40 x 15 cm – a product that is natural and sustainable and that can be 100% recycled and reused without generating waste, while minimizing CO2 emissions to the atmosphere during the manufacturing process.
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Project: Bill Viola Hall
Promoter: Sorigué Foundation
Study and development of an earth construction system.
We understand the project as something unique and extraordinary, with specific objectives to be reached:
SUSTAINABILITY
Earth as a building material: A natural, ecological resource that is both elegant and unique. Earth helps to create a healthy and comfortable indoor environment in which the material’s presence can always be felt.
It allows for air to filter and purify.
It has high thermal inertia, which minimizes the building’s energy cost.
It regulates indoor humidity.
It absorbs electromagnetic waves.
It provides excellent acoustic insulation.
It has resounding aesthetics
Earth is a material of proximity that does not generate waste or toxic byproducts. It reduces long-term emissions of CO2 and is recyclable in its entirety, guaranteeing a building that is sustainable for the environment and a type of architecture born out of –and rooted in– the local territory itself, fully integrated into the existing landscape.
ECO-INNOVATION
A project tied to an idea of the company’s progress and constant improvement, contributing to the process of adapting to a changing world, increasing competitiveness and generating new and successful solutions that add value.
Innovating with earth allows us to strengthen the project’s desired capabilities; to “surprise and excite” with a material that is harmonious with its environment, placing value on the hidden virtues of the landscape or context.
To innovate with earth is to once again value an age-old technique with modern-day means.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Circularity in materials: Use of natural materials that are recyclable and that do not generate waste. Possibility of recycling and recovering waste and foreign substances, such as sludge from aggregate washing processes and construction and demolition waste (CDW) brought about through the company’s business activities.
Circularity of means: adaptation, optimization, and capitalization of the company’s own means from the research and material preparation stages to the construction of the building itself.
Circularity in terms of technology: the project brings about a technological legacy for the company that can be reused in other projects, generating new lines of business.
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Project: Bill Viola Hall
Promoter: Sorigué Foundation
The aim of the research project is to use earth and, in particular, the sludge from aggregate washing at the local quarry, for the construction of the Bill Viola Exhibition Hall at the Sorigué Foundation.
By reusing the sludge, we get to do something with a material that is normally considered to be quarry waste – giving it a new use and minimizing the economic costs for the purchase of materials, transport, as well as the costs related with waste management. This all brings about significant financial and environmental benefits.
Likewise, the re-use of earth for the construction of walls guarantees full integration of the landscape, as the materials are extracted from the site itself.
A preliminary study of the area to be excavated is performed in which samples are taken for laboratory testing. The tests are basically aimed at profiling the material. They are interpreted and their results are evaluated in order to apply the necessary corrective measures – along with the evaluation of proposed solutions.
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Project: Bill Viola Hall
Prototype Design: Fetdeterra
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Project: Casa Terral
Developer: Carmen Moreno Lamota
Architect: Sandra Martin-Lara
Date and location: March 2017. Calafell
Products: Tapialblock LC + mortero base
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Project: Restoration of a rural construction
Developer: Mercè Nabau
Architect: Maite Sainz de la Maza Benet. Fetdeterra
Engineering geologist: Macari de Torres. Fetdeterra
Date and location: December 2016. Mollerussa
The construction is located in a rustic land that has not been developed, where the volume of the building is respected, consolidated and rehabilitated. It is thermally improved by adding insulation on the roof, and the enclosure walls are cleaned, replacing the portland cement mortar with a lime mortar and silicate paints, compatible with the earth walls. A new access to the upper floor is made through a ladder of folded sheet metal floating and anchored to the wall.
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Project: EarthBox
Developer: Suelo Vivo
Architect: Maite Sainz de la Maza Benet. Fetdeterra
Engineering geologist: Macari de Torres. Fetdeterra
EarthBox is a concept of sustainable minimum, healthy and affordable construction that adapts to different uses: housing, work and leisure. A simple module offers 27 m2 of living space and 35 m2 of built space.
For the construction of the EarthBox, only two earth and wood materials are used. Using earth provides positive qualities to the indoor environment, regulating humidity and temperature, as well as being a material that transpires, isolates electromagnetic waves and unwanted external noises.
We study the lifespan of the materials that we are going to use, from their extraction to reuse or recycling. The earth incorporates recycled aggregates from previous constructions. Untreated pine wood strips of 450 x 20 x 5 cm are used for the formwork of the earth walls. They are reused within the work itself, for the floor, pavement, carpentry and furniture.
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Project: La Gramanosa Winery
Architects: Fermín Vázquez. B720 Architects.
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Project: La Gramanosa Winery
Architects: Fermín Vázquez. B720 Architects.
“Cupons a la Eco-Innovació” Program. Research Project subsidized by ACCIÓ (Business Competitiveness Agency) and the Department of Territory and Sustainability of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Earth study and correction for re-use of earth on the jobsite itself.
The aim of the research project is to close the material life cycle, in this case we are talking about the life cycle of the earth that is generated through the jobsite’s excavation so that it may be reused for the construction of walls, thus taking maximum advantage of the process and minimizing environmental impact.
By reusing the earth, we get to do something with a surplus from the jobsite itself that is normally considered waste – giving it a new use and minimizing the economic costs for the purchase of materials, transport, as well as the costs related with waste treatment plant fees. This all brings about significant financial and environmental benefits.
Likewise, the re-use of the earth for the construction of walls guarantees full integration of the landscape into the project, as the materials are extracted from the site itself.
A preliminary study of the area to be excavated is performed in which samples are taken for laboratory testing. These tests are basically aimed at profiling the material. They are interpreted and their results are evaluated in order to apply the necessary corrective measures – along with the evaluation of proposed solutions.
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Project: Interpretation centre of the rural world
Developer: Alcarràs City Council
Architect: Oscar Masot
Date and location: October 2017. Alcarràs
Products: Tapialblock LC + mortero base
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Company: GLS Prefabricados
Accredited Consultants: Fetdeterra
“Cupons a l’ecoinnovació” (“Coupons for Eco-Innovation”) Program. Research project subsidized by ACCIO (Business Competitiveness Agency) and the Department of Territory and Sustainability of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Study of the earth as a base material, as well as laboratory tests.
To reuse and adapt existing masonry infrastructure to generate a new line of high-quality, natural products for bioconstruction and for the restoration of existing buildings by using earth.
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Project: Thermal improvement for single-family housing
Developer: Fetdeterra
Architect: Maite Sainz de la Maza Benet. Fetdeterra
Engineering geologist: Macari de Torres. Fetdeterra
Date and location: October 2017 Bell-lloc d’Urgell
Products: Tapialblock MC + mortero base
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Work: Housing restoration between dividing rammed earth wall
Developer: Dolors Tehas Capell
Architect: Maite Sainz de la Maza Benet. Fetdeterra
Engineering geologist: Macari de Torres. Fetdeterra
Date and location: Under construction. Torregrossa
The construction to be restored is comprised of the union of two buildings clearly delimited and separated by rammed earth walls, with thicknesses of 60/70 cm and 10 meters of height at the highest point. For the restoration work, we carried out an analysis of the constructive and structural system, together with the pathologies presented by the building, identifying the causes to rectify or eliminate them. We could verify how the deterioration of the earth walls was only a superficial pathology, which we rehabilitated and restored conserving all the properties of the earth, using compatible materials and guaranteeing the uniformity of the material in the whole wall. We used Tapialblock SC in the areas where there had been a considerable loss of material and we lined the walls with lime base mortar.
Productos: Tapialblock SC + mortero base
