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The Earthbuilders’ Guild Honors Simone Swan
1928 - 2025
The Earthbuilders' Guild was saddened to hear about the passing of Simone Swan on January 16, 2025. Simone was awarded TEG's Honorary Lifetime Membership in 2016 and received recognition for initiating and managing a range of endeavors concerned with architectural and environmental concepts.
Early in her career she established Withers Swan, a public relations agency in New York committed to public information on art, architecture, and the environment. Clients were museums and universities. She later served as founding director of the Menil Foundation where, beyond art endeavors, she initiated energy conservation and alternative energy programs.
In the 1970s, Simone apprenticed to Hassan Fathy, renowned environmental architect and author of Architecture for the Poor and Natural Energy and Vernacular Architecture, inspired by his use of earthen materials and his interest in reviving indigenous building techniques for owner-built cooperative housing.
In the late 1990s, Simone established the Adobe Alliance in the Big Bend area of West Texas in order to realize low-cost housing in the border region. After much local research on environmental climate and culture, she decided to target Presidio County, with a 37% unemployment rate. The Alliance has since constructed houses on both sides of the border that demonstrate the innovative use of earthen materials to create a new building standard for environmentally compatible, sustainable homes and communities.
As adobe lovers, TEG honors Simone Swan for her inspiring contribution to the adobe world. Her many writings about the power of adobe live on as part of the Adobe Alliance website. We are certain that Simone's many students and friends will continue her important work. Four of them have reached out to TEG to include personal tributes to Simone (see below).
Kurt Gardella - TEG Board Member & Adobe Alliance Webmaster
Ronald Rael writes:
It was March 2000, and I was leading a group of University of Colorado Boulder students on a cross-country journey to explore earthen architecture across Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. The trip had been filled with awe-inspiring discoveries, but nothing could have prepared us for what awaited in Presidio, Texas: a meeting with the legendary Simone Swan.
As we neared Presidio, I stopped at a pay phone to call Simone, checking if she needed anything while we shopped for lunch supplies. Her response was quintessential Simone—demanding and with a hint of mystery. She asked for fresh greens from Baeza’s, the local grocery store, but she insisted we not choose them from the display. Instead, she instructed us to ask the grocers to take us to the back, where the freshest greens were hidden. I followed her instructions. The shopkeepers immediately understood. “For Simone?” they asked knowingly, as though fulfilling a sacred ritual. Armed with the greens, we arrived at her adobe home, filled with curiosity and anticipation.
Simone was in the middle of leading the construction of the Parr residence a mile down the road, a stunning house of soaring vaults and domes made of adobe. My students and I joined her crew, led by Jesusita Jimenez, carrying heavy adobes under the blazing sun. It was deeply inspiring work—an intimate introduction to the ancient craft of Nubian vault construction. As the sun set, Simone shared stories with us, her voice carrying tales of her mentor Hassan Fathy, the beauty of adobe, and her life in the magical expanse of the Big Bend region.
That evening, Simone had a surprise for us. “How about dinner in Ojinaga at Los Comales, my favorite restaurant across the border?” she proposed with a mischievous sparkle in her eye. Simone’s small red four-wheel-drive International led the way, with our rented RV following behind. At the border, we faced a hiccup: the RV wasn’t allowed to cross into Mexico. But Simone wasn’t one to let logistics stand in the way of adventure. Four students squeezed into her tiny truck, while the remaining five—and myself—clung to the outside like some desert carnival ride, gripping doors, the spare tire, and roof racks. Laughing and shouting, we passed through the checkpoint, our wild procession drawing curious glances and smiles.
Dinner at Los Comales was an unforgettable concoction of food, margaritas, laughter, and storytelling, but the journey back was even more memorable. Once again, we piled onto Simone’s red International, the desert air rushing past as we clung to the truck, hollering with tequila-fueled delight. It felt like a scene from a movie, a mix of daring adventure and pure joy, capped with Simone’s infectious enthusiasm.
From that day forward, Simone and I became fast friends. I visited her often, sometimes staying in her breathtaking vaulted adobe home while she was away. Our conversations would stretch late into the night, enveloped by the serene beauty of her desert sanctuary. We shared a profound passion for earthen architecture—not just as a heritage practice but as a material for contemporary construction. It was something both she and I, and undoubtedly her mentor Hassan Fathy believed to be essential for the survival of earthen construction in the 21st century.
We spoke often about the politics of adobe. I shared my belief that building with adobe is a political act—a stance against capitalism and, in some cases, restrictive building regulations. It was a way to reaffirm one’s connection to heritage, land-based practices, and sustainability, standing in opposition to a disposable, plastic society. Simone was equally passionate, and from those conversations emerged "Adobe is Political," a mantra that became Simone’s tagline. Together, we envisioned architecture as more than construction—it was an ethical and moral statement, a social act with the power to transform.
Simone’s stories deepened my connection not only to earthen architecture but to its cultural lineage. Her tales of working with Hassan Fathy, as well as her colorful adventures with Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, the Menil family, and her days at Studio 54 in New York City, painted a vivid picture of her remarkable life. Inspired by these conversations, I began compiling a database of earthen architecture and its cultural connections, which became www.eartharchitecture.org. From that website, a book emerged, where I had the privilege of publishing Simone’s first house—the Camacho Residence. It was a small, elegant adobe home that blended Nubian techniques with the climate-responsive wisdom of the Chihuahuan desert.
Simone’s influence continues to shape my practice to this day. She left an indelible mark on my work, particularly in combining contemporary technologies, like 3D printing, with the timeless principles of earthen construction. In what feels like a fitting tribute, just last year I constructed the first 3D-printed roof ever made—an experimental, technological reimagining of a Nubian vault. The foundation for that innovation was laid 25 years ago, when I first learned how to build a vault by hand while assisting Simone’s crew.
Simone Swan was more than a mentor or a friend—she was a force of nature, a living connection to the past, and an inspiration for the future. Her stories, her passion, and her vision continue to guide me, and through her, I feel connected not only to Hassan Fathy but to the global community of earthen architecture—a legacy I am honored to carry forward.
Ronald Rael
Gina Papanikola writes:
Sandro Cánovas writes:
Kimiya Jahan writes:
TEG Tour – January 19, 2025 – The Magoffin Home State Historical Site
TEG members and guests headed South to El Paso, Texas for our most recent Tour. We were treated to an extraordinary day by our host, Board Member, Louis Edwards. Our Board meeting and Meet & Greet Hour were held in Downtown El Paso at One:One a co-working space. We had the pleasure of meeting so many El Pasoans (and neighbors) who are committed to preservation and new building of earthen structures in the El Paso/northern Mexico area.
Our Tour was held at the Magoffin Home State Historical Site. A jewel of a property. Danielle Brissette, Site Manager and historian extraordinaire led us through the property and shared its history and plans for their upcoming $4.1 million dollar restoration project. The Magoffin Home is nestled in downtown El Paso, this striking and unique adobe homestead tells the stories of a multicultural family that influenced the development of the Southwest borderlands. The Texas Historical Commission oversees this property. More info at https://thc.texas.gov/historic-sites/magoffin-home.
We went away looking forward to the next trip to the area to visit the historic Socorro Mission.
Pat Martinez Rutherford - TEG Board Member
Albuquerque Joinery’s Latest Build
Work continues on Albuquerque Joinery’s latest project, a 2,400 square foot adobe home in the South Guadalupe Trail neighborhood of Albuquerque's North Valley. Adobe laying began in January – not the nicest weather for laying mud bricks, but as long as the days aren't too cold we’ve been proceeding as planned.
When it came to the foundation, we managed to come up with a couple new details that worked well for us, while continuing in our normal slow-and-steady approach to foundation construction. Some of these are problem-solvers – things that improve on other methods that we’ve used or seen used – and some are in response to changing conditions in the larger world of construction, codes, and the availability of materials.
Instead of a 10” stem wall, we used 8” block for this project. (From the crowd well-versed in the New Mexico Earthen Building Materials Code, you will hear a subtle gasp upon reading this). This was for years an allowable practice in that code. Previously, this assembly gave adobe builders a way to insulate their stem wall, but not the adobe wall above – meaning the adobe would be cantilevered out over the perimeter insulation. A few years ago it was removed from the code, but that change did not take into account other assemblies that may also use an 8” stem for a 10” adobe wall, perhaps for different reasons, or maybe without cantilevering the adobe. In this case, we are insulating both our stem and the adobe wall above, but we have other reasons for wanting to use an 8" stem wall. It is much easier to work with, uses less concrete to fill, and is readily available. 10” block is no longer a stock item at many masonry yards now, 10” bond beam block appears to be no longer manufactured at all in Albuquerque, and having to cut out all those webs is awful work... ask anyone who’s done it. Most importantly, 8” does the job just fine: to build out to the proper thickness, we thinsetted a course of concrete brick to the inside of the stem which carries the “cantilever” over the slab, and the slab itself had sleeved dowel pins every 32” to connect it to the stem and limit any vertical movement.
We also tried out what was, for us, a novel idea for how to form our thickened areas of the slab which support bearing and adobe walls above. Instead of digging down to form grade beams, we formed them up with sandbags, and filled the rest of the area with clean ¾” gravel. This is something that you are implicitly prohibited from doing by the City of Albuquerque hydrology department, (that is, without building higher than required, which wastes our time and our clients’ money). But in this case we were able to do it. We built the pad 4” lower than it is “supposed” to be, and then built up to the correct height with our weird sand bag and gravel method. The 4” gravel layer solved several problems for us: we are able to use this as part of a radon mitigation system, and from a purely practical perspective, leveling and tamping gravel to a specific height is much easier to do than with fill dirt. This whole thing felt like a bit of an experiment, but worked beautifully. The radon system is something that, in time, will probably be a mandatory requirement in many parts of the country; for now, though, their conspicuous absence from most projects is just another orphaned complication of requiring new homes to be more airtight than ever without enforcing complementary parts of the code. But that’s a story for another time…
After wrapping up the foundation work, we spent a couple cold weeks getting ready to lay adobe: working out our heights, erecting and plumbing story poles to guide the masonry, and building door and window bucks. And then onto mixing mud, throwing bricks and stacking walls! As of this writing, we are about 15 courses up, window bucks are all in and we're getting ready start setting our bond beam, lintels and beams. The sun is shining on our walls, a hint of springtime is in the air, and we're all looking forward to warmer days ahead!
Kenny DeLapp – TEG Board Member, Albuquerque Joinery
TEG Honorary Membership Nominations
The Board of Directors is accepting nominations for Honorary Lifetime Membership in TEG.
Below is the Criteria. Deadline for nominations is March 1, 2025.
Email your nomination to theearthbuildersguild@gmail.com
Honorary Lifetime Membership Criteria
One Honorary Lifetime Membership may be awarded to a member of the earthbuilding industry annually, with a two-thirds majority approval of the Board of Directors. Nominees should be submitted in writing to the Board by any member(s) in good standing, with a description as to why the nominee should receive this recognition, along with the material to substantiate the reasoning. The nominee should be of good character, meet TEG’s ethical standards and must meet at least two of the three criteria listed below for consideration. Submissions must be received by March 1st of 2025; the Board will announce its decision by the end March.
Advancement of Earthen Construction
Research related to better understanding of earthen materials
Development of earthen material technology
Advancement in earthen engineering
Service to the Community
Education
Increase in public awareness and recognition of earthen construction
Charitable and social benefit work
Service to the Trade and Organization
Contribution to TEG as an organization
Work enabling and serving earthen tradespeople and professionals
Pat Martinez Rutherford - TEG Board Member
School of Constructive Arts Spring Program
School of Constructive Arts is pleased to announce the dates for our Spring 2025 Student Residency! This Spring we are expanding the program to four weeks as we add new curriculum. To make this long form class accessible to a variety of students we are offering the program in two sessions with a one week break in between. Prospective students are encouraged to apply for one or both of these sessions.
Session 1: March 4th - March 19th, 2025
Break: March 20th - 25th, 2025
Session 2: March 25th - April 9th, 2025
This year we are expanding our curriculum to include more foundational learning. Work throughout the program may include finishing our composting outhouse, applying hempcrete to a masonry vault, finishing the exterior plaster on our library, installing a trombe wall, installing a greywater system, and practicing drylands restoration and agroecology techniques.
As always, this program is offered at no cost to students.
Apply today at www.constructivearts.org/StudentVolunteers
Newsletter Invite for Contributions
We want to hear your story!
Do you have an earthbuilding story to share? Consider contributing to our quarterly newsletter. TEG welcomes any earthen news, achievement, anecdote, reflection, or personal story related to the fields of adobe, compressed earth block, rammed earth, or cob. Be sure to share your photos, as well! Email us for more info: theearthbuildersguild@gmail.com
Pat Martinez Rutherford - TEG Board Member
Adobe in Action - Latest News
Twelve students are currently signed up for Adobe in Action's first online class of 2025 - Passive Solar Adobe Design & Construction. After completing their midterm floor plan drawings last week, the students are now running heat gain and heat loss calculations and tweaking their designs to improve performance.
Adobe in Action is celebrating its 14th year of offering online classes in 2025. See the full Winter/Spring 2025 schedule here. Catch the latest episode of our Mud Talks Podcast (Episode 30: Earth USA 2024 "Robotic Nubian Vault Construction") here.
Kurt Gardella - TEG Board Member, Adobe in Action Executive Director & Instructor
Earthen Legends
TEG has begun a project of compiling bios/stories of those people who have contributed to our industry over the years. We are interested in receiving bios from anyone who can add to our library of knowledge in a salute to those who make up the history of earthen construction. Send your submissions to theearthbuildersguild@gmail.com.
Criteria for submissions to Earthen Legends:
One whose profession was in the field of earthen construction – building homes, commercial buildings, adobe making, rammed earth, compressed earth blocks, scebs and manufacturing of materials and products used in earthen construction.
In the field of education – teaching earthen construction
Authors on the subject of earthen buildings/materials/architecture.
Architects, engineers, and designers of earthen construction.
View from the Chair
February 4, 2025
Greetings Fellow TEG-ateers!
This is my first formal article with the intent of speaking about this organization of ours, The Earthbuilders’ Guild from the perspective of the Chair. I hope there are many more to come! My intention is to bring up various issues and observations that are fodder for discussion and perhaps even actions that will enhance and strengthen the earthen construction community.
When I ponder what issues are top of mind regarding the current state of our industry, the earthen construction and earthen materials sector, I have to admit that it is a bit overwhelming. There is everything from code challenges to loss of manufacturing expertise to materials procurement to marketing misinformation, and so on and so on. We, in this industry, tend to see each other as comrades in arms, so to speak, since we know that we are few in number but rich in dedication and belief in the ability of earthen materials to be a transformative influence on the sustainability and efficiency of built homes and commercial structures. What we lack, however, is a big voice when it comes to exerting political and economic leverage in order to grow this transformative influence.
So, what I would like to offer up is a forum that we can share our ideas on how to grow this voice. Over the years that I have been privileged to be part of TEG and even more honored now to be Board Chairman, I have been privy to many discussions on how we might best increase our influence. The challenge has been that many of the ideas that came out of these discussions simply could not be tested or validated since there has not been enough person-power to try more than one or two of these ideas.
One such idea that shows great promise is the effort by a collegial group of earthen advocates, led by TEG’s own Ben Loescher (past TEG Board Chair) and consisting of several TEG members, myself included, but also by members of other earthen-focused organizations such as ECI (Earthen Construction Initiative) and The Cob Research Institute, and also academics such as Michele Barbato from UC Davis as well as private individuals and members of institutions like The Masonry Society. This effort is essentially focused on creating a validated set of codes specific to earthen masonry units (adobe and CEB) and having these codes accepted by and put into practice by the International Code Council. This idea came about after news got out that one of the only commonly accepted earthen code sets within the ICC’s purview was going to be eliminated in just a few years, primarily because there didn’t appear to be enough interest in keeping these earthen codes current and able to mesh with the fairly rigorously updated standard construction codes. This group of folks have taken it upon themselves to do exactly that, to bring forth a set of codes for earthen modular masonry. It will take years of patient and diligent effort for this idea to succeed, but it would never have even been entertained if there weren’t folks like you and me that are willing to step forward and take up a bit of the work so that no one person is trying, like Sisyphus alone out there pushing the rock up the hill, to get this arguably gargantuan project completed.
So, to make sure that we have some means of sharing our ideas, with perhaps the possibility of coming up with more things that we can put into action, I urge you to send me your ideas of what might be the next big consequential way to further the earthen construction industry.
Please send your ideas, thoughts, ruminations, and opinions to me at Chair@TheEarthbuildersGuild.com.
I will do my very best to bring these ideas forward, either by putting them into future iterations of this column, or by bringing them up to the Board for consideration of formal support and action. I wish I could promise that each and every idea will be enacted, but even as we grow in membership, we are still a small but dedicated group of individuals and it may take more than just offering ideas, it may take your involvement to see your idea come to fruition. What I can promise is that all ideas and suggestions will be considered.
At the beginning of this article, I used the term “TEG-ateers”. This term, at least to my limited knowledge, was coined by our own adobero emeritus, Joe Tibbets. I deeply appreciate this term, mostly because it tickles me, but also because it implies that we are a group of action-oriented folks who are willing to put our shoulders to the wheel to make our ideas and our actions part of the earthen construction community!
With highest regard and thanks,
John Jordan - TEG Board Chair
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