[Call for abstracts] International Symposium on the Innovative Technique of Poured Earth (STIPE)

The International STIPE Symposium will take place over three days, with an optional fourth day, from June 1 to 4, 2027. It will include two days of conferences and roundtable discussions, one day dedicated to full-scale experiments, and an optional day focused on laboratory testing.

The STIPE Symposium seeks to provide a mid-term assessment of the poured earth technique while pursuing a broad, multifaceted ambition—scientific, operational, and prospective—structured around several complementary objectives. First, it aims to critically evaluate current practices and feedback on poured earth at the international scale, fostering knowledge sharing and capitalization. Second, it will explore the development potential of this technique by identifying and analyzing the barriers and levers that could encourage its adoption by conventional construction companies. In the medium term, the ambition is to contribute to drafting professional guidelines to facilitate the prescription of these materials by architects, design offices, and project managers. Finally, the symposium aims to strengthen synergies between academic research laboratories, socio-economic actors, and public institutions to stimulate collaborative innovation, accelerate technology transfer, and consolidate networks of expertise in earth construction.

THEMES

1. Historical Development of cast-in-place Wall Construction: Technical evolution of cast-in-place walls: rammed earth, rammed concrete, cinder concrete, cement- or lime-based concrete, poured earth, etc.
2. Materials and Material properties: Formulation, characterisation, and environmental impacts of poured earth.
3. Construction methods and site constraints: Practical experience and equipment adapted to poured earth construction.
4. Architecture and construction systems: Qualities and specific characteristics of poured earth.
5. Development and adaptation of existing supply chains: Integrating poured earth into conventional construction.

Call for abstracts

The call relates to the submission of abstracts for papers and experimental projects.

In addition to the five main themes, this symposium includes an experimental dimension, giving researchers and professionals the opportunity to develop full-scale “demonstrators and prototypes” at the Grands Ateliers.

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