Earthen Architecture Historic Preservation and Repair

Registration Information:

This is the information and payment page for the Earthen Architecture Historic Preservation and Repair workshop. Submit payment to complete your registration and secure your enrollment in the workshop. Remember, you are not enrolled in the workshop until you have paid tuition. If you are paying on behalf of a trainee, email YmVzdF9wcmVzZXJ2YXRpb24gfCBucHMgISBnb3Y= to let us know who you paid for.

Tuition is collected by our Partner, Preservation Maryland through their program The Campaign for Historic Trades, who is 889-B compliant.

If there are no seats left, you have been placed on the waitlist and will be notified when a seat becomes available.

Do not pay tuition if you have not submitted a 2025 BEST Workshop Registration Form and received a confirmation email.

Student discount available: Upon check out, please use the following code if you fall into this category.

STUDENT700: This code is for student trainees to pay a discounted tuition amount of $50. You are eligible for this tuition rate if you are a college or university student enrolled at least half time in an accredited institution. Do not purchase this ticket if you are not a college/university student trainee. You should only purchase one ticket per workshop.

Overview:

Construction of architecture using earthen building materials is one of the oldest surviving building traditions in the world for many reasons. Adaptable, sustainable, and sophisticated, earthen architectural traditions have a long history in the arid Southwest that endures today. Caring for and preserving these resources can be challenging, as many of them do not conform to our contemporary expectations of what makes a material suitable for building and what its maintenance looks like. In this workshop, students will learn about the materials science and construction of earthen architecture, as well as experiment with building materials derived from soil such as adobes and earthen plasters and mortars. Participants will examine what deterioration looks like in earthen structures, determine root causes of condition, and think through stabilization measures. Lastly, students will practice small-scale repairs in the field, such as replacing adobes and applying earth plaster.

Quick Reference:

• Arrive at 7:45 AM

• 8:00 AM start time

• The workshop runs until about 4:30 PM daily

Bring:

• Coffee, snacks, and lunch

• Water bottle

• Notebook

• Pencil or pen

• Layers, hat, and sunscreen

• Comfortable field clothing you don't mind getting dirty

Expectations:

• You are expected to actively participate in all parts of the workshop, even those that may be out of your comfort zone OR so inside your comfort zone that you don't think you can learn anything -you can always learn more

• Expect to make mistakes and support your fellow trainees in their participation and mistakes

• There will be concepts and information that are unfamiliar to you, that is okay that you won't have all the answers, that's why you're coming to a workshop

• There may be concepts and information that are very familiar to you. We hope you will take that opportunity to help teach and guide your fellow trainees graciously (after asking them if they would like assistance, of course), as well as gain new perspectives from the subject matter experts guiding the workshop

• Keep an open mind and think critically

Also check out other Workshops in Fort Davis.