Scoria at Casa Caldera
This documentation and video produced by Jay Ritchey of Jay Bird Films details some of the processes for how we built Casa Caldera, specifically the scoria walls. Jay worked with us, swinging the hammer, pushing wheelbarrows, and keeping the coffee flowing, all while putting together this wonderful piece.
Scoria, or lavacrete, is made up of a mix of pulverized red lava rock, cement, and water. This proprietary mixture forms a coarse cementitious material, which is rammed into shape and allowed to set. The scoria walls were made thick, to provide security and regulate temperatures out in the desert landscape.
There would be no Scoria without Paul Schwam of Lavaworks.
Thanks again to Jay Ritchey for creating this story.