Alizi - a Manifesto for Modern Construction

On November 18-22, in the "Fabrika" exhibition space, Idaaf Architects presented the results of the workshop: 'Adobe Brick - Research, New Design And Prospects For Use In Modern Construction'.

Alizi (in Georgian) is a sun-dried adobe brick and is an ancient building material in Georgia, and is widely used across the world. It is traditionally made of earth and water, and, for strength, is mixed with sand, hay, sickle, elderberry, etc. It is environmentally friendly, a sustainable building material characterized by cheap production, good sound and heat insulation, and high fire resistance.

The Alizi Workshop took place in the summer of 2022 and included research and practical work with four selected participants. We studied Adobe Brick buildings in the village of Kvemo Magharo in Kakheti and in Kartli, the villages of Ruisi, Garejvari and Khidistavi. The workshop team also collected soil of ten different colours from various regions of Georgia and produced new Alizi brick modules and decorative wall tiles.

The bricks and wall decorative tiles presented at the exhibition are: HAE by Mariam Papava; Domino by Jokola Kistauri; J (a crossed brick) by Elene Pichkadze; ES by Mea Miminoshvili; and the IA Bricks by Idaaf architect’s studio, which consists of two universal shapes which easily fit together and do not require fasteners or fillers, and thus allow for the easy construction of pre-planned buildings. At the exhibition, Idaaf Architects also present furniture made by Alizi.

The Alizi Workshop is the first attempt to raise awareness about this material and define the conditions for its return to modern construction. After three months of work, it is clear that Alizi is viable for modern construction and can compete with existing materials whose non-ecological impact has caused the world to face global warming with the disasters that have ensued. If the Alizi bricks made during the workshop are to be manufactured to meet existing construction standards, we will need more research and experimentation to create usable bricks. We aim to do this in the next year or so, including laboratory research both in Georgia and abroad.

The workshop was organized by Idaaf Architects.

Project head: Nana Zaalishvili.

Idaaf Architects’ team: Aleksandre Iobidze, Sopo Tsiviladze, Dea Khizanishvili;

Participants: Mariam Papava, Elene Pichkadze, Jokola Kistauri, Mea Miminoshvili.

Special thanks to:

Givi Jakeli - for sharing the knowledge about the earth architecture and for his help in making adobe bricks;

Salome Berechikidze_ for the help during the practical works and environmental analysis;

Construction company 'Alizi' - for their financial and friendly support;

To all helpers who participated in practical work;

Dato Kalmakhelidze, Tim Gick, Sharon Eddington and Chris Bell - for financial support.