The Adobe Alliance is a non-profit group committed to help those in need of housing who cannot afford to buy industrial materials, neither wood nor tools, by teaching the hand-crafting of woodless mud brick roofs to cover a space that shelters adobe walls, house, and a self-reliant family. We are ready to:
- help communities apply cooperative building techniques in earth architecture;
- organize groups in fulfilling the widespread need for low cost, salubrious, energy efficient, sustainable housing;
- enhance rather than defile landscapes by offering 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, reducing the need to purchase 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, thus 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.