Detailed Description of Adobe Projects
DAR AL-ISLAM - Abiquiu, New Mexico
I was the Construction Supervisor of Mosque renovation and new construction of the Madressa (school). The Mosque was built in 1980 during an adobe workshop by the attendees. In 1982, I was hired by Dar Al-Islam to renovate and improve the Mosque and build the Madressa.
Mosque - The 1200 square foot Mosque has grand interior arches; three buttresses for bracing were installed and a new design for waterproofing of the dome and barrel vaulted roofs was needed.
Madressa - The 24,000 square foot school building was built based on the plans by Hassan Fathy of Cairo, Egypt. The architectural design is traditional Egyptian. Two sizes of Adobe bricks were used for the walls and three sizes for the domes and barrel vaulted roofs. All exterior walls are 39” inches thick. I developed the interior adobe plaster mix, for all the walls. I also developed the innovative roof sealing structure. To achieve a R-30 insulation rating, a 15” inch thick Pumice-Crete cap in the full contour shape of the domes and vaults was installed. This left the architectural shape intact. Three coats of Portland cement plaster were then applied to entire surface area. One coat of masonry sealer and a finish coat of elasticameric paint.
I had 42 crewmen, 5 sub-contractors, 3 carpenters and a tour guide during the construction under my supervision. Material procurement, all phases of adobe work and budgeting were my responsibilities. The project length was two years. I consulted with Architect William Lumpkins of Santa Fe and Hassan Fathy of Egypt. The project was featured in numerous books, magazines and periodicals.
stephen jay adobe
Telephone 360-730-2019 Email: stephen@adobestephenjay.com
