EARTH HOUSES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 25, Issue 631, 3 August 1951, Page 5

EARTH HOUSES

Sir,-What a feast of wholesome urbanity Mr, Vernon Brown has provided for us so far in the series, "Houses, or Where Do You Hang Your Hat?" True, the title of the series is itself like a hat tossed on to the wrong peg-but what matter? Mr. Brown’s wit alone would be sufficient justification for the talks, and the sight of him weli mounted on his various hobby-horses, and cantering along in his own inimitable style is as rewarding as a good day at the races. For those of us who are still wondering where we WILL hang our hats nothing concrete has yet materialised. We must thank Mr. Brown for having made explicit the term "philistine." ("One who is unwilling to extend his own experience," or words to that effect.) Surely a succinct definition of Mr. Brown’s own attitude to the use of earth as a building material. To say that houses can be built of earth, as though, like the one made from flattened oildrums, they would be mere isolated curiosities, is to sidestep an undeniable fact. Livable, functional earth houses have been, and are being built all over the world. The period has arrived when New Zealand architects should think about extending their range of materials to include earth (adobe and pisé types). Enterprising contractors using pneumatic rammers, bulldozers, and modern methods for puddling, could greatly improve on the present rate of erection of our hat-rack enclosures. Reliable reports suggest that such a moyement is flowering in New Holland. Why not here?

O. E.

MIDDLETON

(Auckland).