Adobe Alliance

Images above: The Swan Home near Presidio and the entrance to Big Bend Ranch State Park

There's an interesting organization in our region dedicated to adobe and earth architecture.  The home shown in the photos is located near the entrance to Big Bend Ranch State Park, near Presidio.

The Adobe Alliance is a non-profit group dedicated to:

• helping communities apply cooperative building techniques in earth architecture;
• educate groups in fulfilling the widespread need for low cost, salubrious, energy efficient, sustainable housing; 
• enhance rather than defile landscapes by designing solid contemporary structures of simple design which respect local climate, environment and culture.

 

Means to reach these goals include:

• the use of local renewable, recycled resources and building materials to considerably reduce cost and environmental impact, avoiding the use of industrial materials;
• providing roofs in the configuration of adobe vaults and domes, a unique yet ancient design feature which eliminates the use of wood, an increasingly scarce natural resource;
• designs which harness natural energy for heating and cooling . Adobe walls retain heat in the winter and stay cool in the summer, eliminating the cost of mechanical heating and cooling systems;
• a system to meet local housing needs using indigenous skills, thereby providing a source of employment and simultaneously incorporating, preserving and enhancing local architectural heritage.
• an appropriate building technique for chemically sensitive individuals, using only materials that are totally non-toxic. 

 Read more about this organization, programs and workshops here. 

The Adobe Alliance is a Texas based tax-exempt 501(c)3 corporation.