EBAA 2025 Earth Building Conference 4th – 6th April

Want to build your dream earth home but struggling with red tape to get it approved?

Please join us at the Earth Building Association of Australia’s (EBAA) annual conference to hear the experts and meet like-minded people!

The conference theme is, Getting your Earth Home Approved, and will include formal talks, as well as hands-on practical workshops and demonstrations. Held on Friday 4th – Sunday 6th April 2025, at Western Sydney University – Hawkesbury Campus, Richmond NSW.

We will address the various challenges & know-how associated with designing, building and obtaining approval for earth buildings including:

• Navigating building codes and planning regulations
• Overcoming regulatory hurdles (bushfire, FRL, thermal comfort, weatherproofing, structural adequacy etc.)
• Innovative solutions (DTS v/s Performance-based solutions) for meeting codes & standards. How to write Performance Based Solutions and Deemed to Satisfy Solutions and give examples that work.
• Case studies of earth building with regard to achieving compliance & approval
• General information to allow easier approvals to facilitate more earth building.

Registration:

     3-day Conference Package (Includes attendance, lunch, snacks and dinner)

            Individual non-members     $ 450/person

            EBAA members                  $ 375/person

            Student/Unwaged               $ 250/person

            Spouse                               $ 250/person              

     Accommodation on site is available but limited.  Private single-bed rooms in a four-bedroom villa with one bathroom, a fully equipped kitchen and a dining setting. There is a lounge area with a sofa and TV. Non-smoking, heating, ceiling fans, linen & towels provided, desk. Bring your toiletries. Breakfast included.

    Options:        

           $170/person/2-nights (Friday & Saturday)

           $255/person/3-nights (Thursday, Friday & Saturday),

     The conference will start at approximately 9:00 am on Friday April 4th and will end at 4:30 pm on Sunday April 6th.  (This schedule is subject to change, so please check back. All participants will be notified of any updates). Campus village guests’ check out time is 10:00am on Sunday April 6th.

     There will be a hands-on earth building experience from Monday March 31st to Thursday April 3rd headed by Ray Trappel. Conference participants have the opportunity to join this hands-on experience for free (you will have to organise your food and accommodation for these days). Please note that this is not a formal workshop, you can join any day, get your hands dirty, or simply watch and observe. For details, please email Ray or call 0419721742. 

Speakers

Luigi Rosselli – Architect  “Latest in Rammed Earth”.  Luigi Rosselli Architects  Luigi Rosselli is an Italian born architect who practices in Australia. He was born in Milan in 1957. Coming from a long line of engineers, he studied architecture at the Ecole Politechnique Federale in Lausanne, where he met Alvaro Siza and Mario Botta, who offered Rosselli a job in 1979. He left the next year to work for Mitchell/Giurgola in their New York office at the age of 23. That firm won a commission to design the Australian Parliament House, and Rosselli moved to Canberra in 1981 to work on that project. The Luigi Rosselli Architects team work out of The Beehive Design Studio in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills. Its honeycomb facade was a joint effort with his architect son Raffaello Rosselli, who is also interested in sustainability and re-use. Luigi Rosselli Architects is a carbon neutral practice applying sustainable building practises, as demonstrated by their expertise in rammed earth, air-conditioning-free spaces and energy efficiency.   Wikipedia profile  

Anna Schlunke / Michael Harris – BASIX  “Getting a Basix For Your Home”  BASIX stands for Building Sustainability Index. It is a sustainability assessment tool for residential buildings in NSW. BASIX aims to reduce the environmental impact of new homes by requiring them to meet certain minimum standards (for water and energy efficiency, and thermal performance) and to report on construction materials being used so their embodied energy can be calculated.  BASIX website  

Peter Hickson – Earth Building Expert  “Getting Approval for Your Home, Case Study”  Earth Building Solutions, AUS, EBAA President.  Peter Hickson is a Professional Master Builder currently Licensed to conduct Building work in NSW, Australia. He has decades of experience specialising in designing and constructing homes of raw unfired earth and promoting earth building through training, education and practical example. He was a founding member of the Earth Building Association of Australia (EBAA), and has served on the EBAA committee for many years including  Vice President and as President. He believes homes built of earth have always been the closest in achieving sustainable building practice.  Earth Building Solutions – Facebook 

David Kaunitz – Architect “Case Studies in public buildings”  Kaunitz Yeung Architecture is focused on facilitating high quality architecture in some of the most disadvantaged communities and First Nations People in Australian and Asia – Pacific. Underlying this is a deep commitment to participatory design and local construction. Kaunitz Yeung Architecture has created a new paradigm that shows high quality, international award-winning architecture is not a matter of cost, but of commitment. They have a significant body of award-winning architecture and have worked in more than 40 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island communities, 200 Pacific Island communities as well as in Asia. This includes prestigious awards such as the UIA Vassilis Sgoutas Prize, the highest architectural award for working with underprivileged communities. Each project is co-designed in an authentic partnership with communities, NGOs, and Government Agencies. They have developed methods of engagement that enable all sections of the community to be heard and involved. By involving, the architecture is imbued with culture, integrated with place and reflective of the community’s history, hopes and aspirations. Kaunitz Yeung Architecture   

Dr John Zhang – Civil & Structural engineer at Hillbridge Designers and Engineers. “Performance Based Solutions for Earth Construction” Dr John Zhang, as an experienced structural engineer, has been involved in the design, approval and construction of many building projects which have a positive emphasis on sustainability, environment and local community. In adopting engineering principles to the structural design of buildings with alternative systems, Dr John attempts to strike a balance between safety and risks, and theories and practices. Dr John, through his consulting firm, has been a corporate member of EBAA and Ausbale since early days. Dr John Zhang is also an academic staff at Western Sydney University since 1995. Suite ​313/5 Celebration Drive, Bella Vista, New South Wales  

Oliver Biggs (BSE Consulting Engineers)  “NCC Compliance for a Rammed Earth Home” BSE Consulting Engineers are leaders in straw and earth building engineering design. We design single and multi-storey residential and commercial straw and earth buildings using full loadbearing and in-fill walls on all types of floor systems. Challenging designs are our passion. Our strength stems from our cross-disciplinary approach to straw and earth construction technologies incorporating industry best practices in Structural, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Building Surveying. Our core focus is to support our clients to achieve visionary sustainable construction solutions. BSE Consulting Engineers

PC Thomas – Thermal Assessor (TBC)

5X5  ( 5 slides, 5 minutes) Speakers

Kirstie Wulf – Accredited Building Designer with BDAA No. 6322 Kirstie Wulf is the founder and leader of Shelter Building Design, which she established in 2015 with a passion for creative, sustainable, and high-performance design. As a second-career designer, she blends creativity and scientific precision to craft thoughtful solutions for challenging sites and small projects.  Shelter Building Design

Ar. Savneet Kaur – The principal architect and founder of Imarat Architects, Chandigarh, India, established nearly 3 decades ago, where she has designed and developed more than 250 projects. She is an alumnus of Chandigarh College of Architecture with a Masters degree in Science ( Sustainable Development ).  A member of the IGBC (Indian Green Building Council) worked in close coordination with TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) in promoting GRIHA and SWAGRIHA and has participated in numerous national and international conferences on green architecture, Renewable energy, sustainable habitats.  Was awarded the “Best Architect in Sustainable Architecture’ by the Indian Institute of Architects in collaboration with the Times of India Group. Imarat Architect – facebook

Rachel Goldlust – Natural Building Australia  Rachel’s mission is to develop a platform and network hub that can help anyone across Australia access information and resources to help them and their communities build naturally and design smarter homes built to the varied Australian climate. Natural Building Australia

Workshops 

3D Earth Printing Demonstration Trial conducted by Dr Kate Dunn, Senior Lecturer, BEGRADEX Coordinator, School of Built Environment, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, University of NSW SYDNEY  Dr Kate Dunn’s Profile  with Dr Mohamed Gomaa, Academic and Researcher, Swinburne University and Luyten 3D Printing, Australia’s biggest manufacturer of construction 3D printers, who are generously sponsoring this workshop. 

Kate has an undergraduate degree in Ceramics and a PhD in Architecture from the University of Sydney. She has been researching 3D printing with clay and soil and sustainable housing for over 12 years. Mohamed has a degree in Architectural Engineering and a PhD in Architecture from Adelaide University. His research focuses on integrating digital design and manufacturing techniques with earth-based materials with a special interest in additive manufacturing and on-site 3D printing systems. 3D Print workshop contact mobile No: Kate’s mobile 0448808688  Email: k.dunn@unsw.edu.au

This workshop explores the use of robotic 3D printing with a soil, sand and hemp mix to build hollow walled structures. 3D printing has the potential to reduce the labour times and costs of earth building while increasing customisation and speed of building. Come and see this exciting innovation.

Rammed Earth – Dougal Edgar EBAA Committee member

Mud Brick – Ray Trappel EBAA Committee member 

Cob – Peter Hickson EBAA President 

Light Earth – Kenney LeMire & Will Eastlake  MudTec

CPD POINTS

Architects can claim up to 6 formal CPD points by attending this conference. CPD form to be released soon

Builders can claim up to 12 CPD points by attending this conference. CPD form to be released soon 

If you want to become a member of the EBAA and take advantage of the members’ discount, please go to our Membership page. 

NOTE: *Pets are not allowed at the conference venue. This rule is strictly implemented by Western Sydney University Village – Hawkesbury.

Registration closes on 26th March 2024

Accommodation on campus is now fully booked. But there is a possible availability soon.

Email us if you are interested to be on the waiting list.

LOCATION

University of Western Sydney - Hawkesbury & Secret Garden
Bourke Street, Richmond NSW 2753

HOW TO GET THERE

Click the link below to get a live direction in Google Maps.

Get directions

Contact us or reprint your tickets  (click the box below)

Contact Event Organiser

Organiser Phone 0429 321 104