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'Borrowed Land' installation at Færderbiennalen, 2024. 
Collaboration between ACT!, CLAYA and Ask Holmen.

'Borrowed land' explores the relationship between the built environment, climate crisis and environmental degradation. At the heart of our proposal lies an understanding of the natural landscape as a resource that we borrow, draw from and return to. Using local materials, created by glaciers that swept across the landscape thousands of years ago, leaving behind clay and stones, we transform these materials into architectural components that are not only rooted in the place, but can also return to it when its time is up.

 

Through a unique approach to material selection and construction techniques, we seek to create an installation that reflects these themes, but also interacts with them in a deep and meaningful way.

 

In the context of soil depletion, ‘Borrowed land’ is an installation that explores the concepts of circularity and decay, contemplating the concept of borrowing materials, and allowing them to return to the earth. The project looks at different techniques and densities of building with rammed earth, and celebrates erosion and decay as esthetic qualities. 

 

The landscapes in these areas were shaped by glaziers several thousand years ago. Building with clay has historic tradition, and withholds great potential as a circular building material. This project aims to delve into the multidimensional sustainability of raw clay, which encompasses ecological benefits from its circularity, economic advantages through waste reduction, and social ability to connect people to nature. The installation utilizes clay and soil that is already exposed in construction work in Tønsberg (and often otherwise end up as waste). 

 

The assembled collective working on the proposal has common deep rooted values concerning preservation of nature and environmental degradation, and are working on these topics through different fields of expertise and techniques in their practices. The collective was initiated by ACT!, closely collaborating with Ask Holmen and Claya on further development and construction of the project.​​

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foto: Sophie Dorn

CONSTRUCTIVE: Working with local earth requires thorough preparation due to the variability of soil properties. Material testing is essential to determine the appropriate mix for the desired technique. Formworks for rammed earth must be specially made to withstand compressive forces. Walls can only be erected after formwork creation and material preparation, with a focus on manual labor. Non-professionals can be trained for tasks like tamping, making wall construction participatory. The process involves hands-on building, exploring unique materials from each site, and adapting techniques accordingly.

The building process involves layering and compacting earth, determining permeability and stability. Depending on the ground nature, rammed earth elements can be tamped directly onto the soil. Material is layered into a wooden formwork and compacted by hand or with pneumatic rammers. Varying mixtures and compaction levels influence the elements' natural erosion. Once tamped, elements can be stripped directly.

The material, which can be found under our feet and has been used as a building material for centuries needs a special examination of the users. It is about taking the time to understand the properties of the earth as a material and, as a result, making it applicable to the respective techniques. With different aggregates like sand or stone in different proportions in material mixtures, limits are tested and a play is achieved that shows the wall itself as a narrative element and protagonist that changes over the course of time and decay and can go back to earth after its period of use.

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HARNESSING LOCAL RESOURCES: Borrowed Land embraces sustainability by repurposing excavated material from Hjera Pukkverk in Eidsvoll, Romerike. The soil, rich in sand and clay, has been carefully selected and transported from a deponi to be utilized in rammed earth construction. Complementing this, the sand and gravel, sourced from Re Pukkverk in Sem, range in grain size from 0 to 63 mm, ensuring optimal compaction and strength.

By integrating locally sourced materials, we reduce transportation emissions and honor the natural landscape from which our resources are derived.

TEST : To achieve the perfect blend of these components, our team conducted extensive research and testing. We experimented with different ratios of clay-rich soil, sand, and gravel, specifically testing 30-70% and 40-60% mixes. These tests included exposing the rammed earth elements to weather conditions and using erosion blocks to observe their reactions to the local environment while being unprotected. Each stage of testing aimed to refine the mixture for maximum durability and aesthetic appeal. As well as challenge what the material can withstand.

TEMPORARY WORKSHOP: Our dedicated material laboratory, prominently featured in our display, played a crucial role in this process. In addition to the borrowed masses, we utilized resources found at the site for experimentation, embracing the search for circular materials to integrate into the rammed earth installation. Objects such as stone plates were repurposed to function as foundations for the structures, while bricks were designed into four pieces to serve as erosion blockers—a technique essential for maintaining stability.

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