'Twenty Years of Rammed Earth' Celebrates Building In The Desert. By Mari Wadsworth BUILDER QUENTIN Branch loves to play with dirt. In fact, he's built his own company, Rammed Earth Solar Homes, and a distinguished career around his passion for earth. Anyone who's built with rammed earth locally knows Branch, who's championed its use in Tucson and surrounding communities for the past 20 years. Some credit him as a pioneer of the form, a designer-builder who's continued "developing the tools and technology... working hand in hand with architects and owner-builders to turn their dreams into reality." His accomplishments are the subject of a retrospective currently showing at Meliora Architectural Gallery, 178 E. Broadway. The show, which covers a broad spectrum of projects and building types, is more a celebration of the form itself than of architectural design. Epithets extolling the virtues of rammed earth dangle from wires above and around the projects: soil, ancient, natural, light, down-and-dirty, energy, shelter. Perhaps the "primal" and "hug-a-tree" that follow are a little hokey, but these words that hang in the air effectively convey the idea that rammed earth is an emotive response to a landscape of modern architecture often dismissed as cold and sterile. The compacted earth, an aggregate of local dirt and gravel (the only non-local material is the three-percent Portland cement added to hasten drying), is at once malleable and permanent, able to accommodate designs of the 21st century that have a low environmental impact and a timeless character. Enlarged color photographs, 27 images in all, walk the viewer through interiors and exteriors utilizing aesthetic and energy-saving advantages of building with dirt, from a kiva in the Catalina Foothills to a bank in Sierra Vista, from a contemporary Southwestern living room to a grand arch, reminiscent of an ancient Roman city gate, built as a display at the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association Home Show last spring. However, a couple of projects designed by local architects take rammed earth beyond the realm of mere building material to create objects that are both functional and beautiful. In "Stairway to Heaven," architect/builder Paul Weiner responds to his client's desire for roof access by stepping a patio wall into a staircase ascending to the stars. And over on Convent Avenue, Branch and architect Rick Joy have finally completed a complex of artist resident/studio spaces that earned mention for innovative architectural design in The Weekly's 1996 Best of Tucson issue. Joy is quoted in the show as saying, "Using (Branch's) exposed rammed earth wall technology enabled us to combine the sensibilities of building in the desert in 1996 with the spirit of the historic Barrio and the souls of all the people who helped create it." Even the parking lot of the gallery itself boasts a recent addition crafted by Branch: Low, water-blasted rammed earth walls extend into a truncated, rough pyramid, giving character to what was once just a dirt lot on busy East Broadway. It's also a welcoming introduction to the gallery show, and to those who've never seen or touched rammed earth. The beauty of the sum total of the projects they've chosen to include in this small show is that one message rings clear: Everyone, no matter what they're building, can use it. It's a material and a process accessible to the private homebuilder, the design-oriented architect, and the bottom-line developer alike. Like all art forms, the palette used suggests something about the artist himself. Branch, with his quiet ways and deep-seated conviction, is much like the rammed earth projects he's brought to life over the years: a humble presence that's made a statement that's not only withstood the test of time, but continues to improve with age. Twenty Years of Rammed Earth, a photographic exhibit of buildings by Quentin Branch, continues through January 30 at Meliora Architectural Gallery, 178 E. Broadway. Regular gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Gallery will be closed December 25, 26 and January 1. Call 792-9544 for information.

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