Charissa Turner




Earth Construction Workshop
Ouled Merzouk, Morocco
2023


I was awarded a travel bursary by my university to take part in an earth construction workshop in Ouled Merzouk in Morocco, a primarily earth-based village. Hosted by the local women’s association, this workshop consisted of earth testing and component combinations using locally sourced materials - clay-based earth, sand-based earth and straw; how these combination change with the type of application; construction techniques - rammed earth, adobe, render, stone wall; visits to architectural sites of interest and taking part in women-led professions such as weaving, bread making and pottery. On completion of the workshop, we had constructed our own walls with tried and tested applications of all these techniques.
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Completed wall using dry stone walling, rammed earth, earth bricks, reeds and earth render
Pottery made using clay-based earth and water
Visits to a local Kasbah
Earth testing  with combinations of natural materials
Preparing the ground for the dry stone wall
Lock and key mechanism
Visit to the City of Orien
Making the rammed earth
Removing the frame of the rammed earth section
Placing the earth bricks
Interior of the Outpost with analogue weather recording devices
Completed rammed earth section of the wall
Breadmaking inside a local’s home
Earth composite testing with sand and clay based soils
Visit to the Celestial Staircase
Testing and practicing adobe render techniques
Our teams wall completed
All earth-based wall examples completed