Call for Papers – Building with Cob

The ATE Laboratory is calling for papers forthe conference “Building with Cob,” to be held at the École nationale supérieure d’architecture de Normandie in February 2027. The deadline for submissions is July 20, 2026.

This conference aims to rediscover these cob techniques, document them to better understand, utilize, preserve, or adapt them—and even redevelop them. The call for papers thus offers an opportunity for multidisciplinary exchange and collaboration in various forms:

– a cross-disciplinary approach, welcoming scholarly contributions from the fields of architecture, archaeology, ethnology, sociology, and vernacular landscape;
– an academic approach in the field of engineering;
– a practical approach focused on current practices and their potential future developments, welcoming testimonials and presentations from practitioners.

This symposium is co-organized by Sophie Popot (architect and urban planner) and Théo Vinceslas, a faculty member and researcher at the ATE laboratory. The symposium is part of the research project certified by the PN terre program: “Building with Cob: Understanding the Performance of Vernacular and Contemporary Cob.”

The deadline for submitting proposals is July 20, 2026.

The rationale, terms, and schedule are outlined HERE. 

Image: GME Earth Crew