Vince Ogletree

Waiheke Island has dozens of mud brick buildings. Many were built by Vince Ogletree, who brought his knowledge from the American Southwest and then improved on it. Ranging in size from the classic 12.9 x 6.6 single story to a large earth brick compound in Church Bay, all were made from local gap 40 aggregate delivered from Stoney Ridge Quarry. The mix was very similar to that used in building Waiheke's roads... about 10 parts gap 40 to one part cement.

Earth Building Tribute to Vince Ogletree

By Lisa Morey

“Nice work boys!” in his charming American Southern accent, was something Vince always said to his hard-working crew when making and laying mud bricks. He’d always have the radio on at the jobsite (classic rock only), he’d stop for “smoko” at least twice a day and serve up sweet coffee and tea, and he simply made the job heaps of fun with his jokes and positive attitude. Generous to all his workers, Vince taught them how to create and build mindfully. “If a job was worth doing, it was worth doing right” was something he learned from his grandfather.

His keen eye for detail and talented craftsmanship enabled him to oversee the construction of over 50 earthen structures worldwide. His work took him from NZ to the Fiji Islands, USA, and lastly Afghanistan in 2004, where he assisted an earth building project for USAID (US Agency for International Development) using his unique molding system. The passion in his work was to provide housing and shelter for those who needed it most, and he believed building with mud bricks was the simplest construction method for all people to learn.

Vince’s last project was a DIY manual on the making and laying of mud bricks utilizing his 12 years of experience. The manual started as a school project while I was in architectural design school, and is now nearly 100 pages of comprehensive step-by-step guidelines. My job is to complete the manual by adding photos of his work, illustrations, and detailed drawings. The book will be ready for sale soon by visiting www.adobebuilding.com.

I plan to carry on with the business that Vince started in 1993 by fulfilling the dream we both had for earth building. Earth Building Consultants & Contractors, Ltd. is now Adobe Building Consultants & Contractors, LLC based in Florida, USA. Vince had hope for the future of earth building, believing it was the most sound and honest way to build. I will do my best to honor his intentions and his work. For those of us who knew Vince well, he was loved very much and will be missed greatly.

Vince Ogletree, founder of Earth Building Consultants & Contractors, Ltd., passed away on April 5, 2005 after his five-year battle with cancer. He was forty years old. He is survived by his three daughters, Alexa, Niki and Sasha, his partner Lisa and their baby son, Dillon. http://www.adobebuilding.com/downloads/ebanz_tribute_to_vince_ogletree.doc