Looking up through a circular rammed earth structure with a large opening to the blue sky.

Asaase III

Permanent Rammed Earth Art Installation at the Griot Museum of Black History

St. Louis, Missouri

2023

Public art often strives to connect people to history and place, but few works embody that connection as literally as Asaase III.

Commissioned for the Griot Museum of Black History in St. Louis, this permanent installation was designed by celebrated architect David Adjaye and realized by our team in 2023. We crafted - or more accurately, rammed - these walls in situ, shaping them on-site with great care.

What makes Asaase III unique is its material story. The walls are built entirely from reclaimed crushed brick, salvaged from a neighboring building slated for demolition. By folding the city’s own fabric into the work, the piece becomes part of St. Louis’s layered history.

Rammed Earth offered a way to preserve memory in structure: each compacted lift records time, craft, and community. The finished walls stand quietly yet powerfully, inviting visitors to reflect on heritage, resilience, and belonging.

Asaase III shows how Rammed Earth can transcend architecture, becoming sculpture and storytelling at once.

  • Architectural rendering of Asaase III Rammed Earth installation at the Griot Museum of Black History in St. Louis.
  • Perspective rendering of Asaase III highlighting compacted Rammed Earth texture and warm brick tones.
  • Curved Rammed Earth wall showcasing layered soil textures and smooth radius finish.
  • Close-up of curved stabilized Rammed Earth wall with fine horizontal striations.
  • Curved Rammed Earth feature wall highlighting natural color bands.
  • Aerial view of gently arcing Rammed Earth wall blending into sky.
  • Curved Rammed Earth wall forming organic edge in contemporary courtyard.
  • Curved Rammed Earth garden wall framing seating area with natural texture.
  • Brick crushing machine processing reclaimed bricks for Asaase III Rammed Earth walls in St. Louis.
  • Workers operating brick crusher to prepare reclaimed material for Asaase III Rammed Earth installation.
  • Industrial crusher breaking salvaged bricks into fine aggregate for Rammed Earth construction.
  • Close-up of crushed brick aggregate feeding into crusher for Rammed Earth art project.
  • Workers ramming reclaimed brick material into wall form for Asaase III.
  • Compaction tool pressing layers of crushed brick during Rammed Earth build.
  • Early stage of Asaase III showing compacted lifts of recycled brick.
  • Formwork set up for Asaase III Rammed Earth art installation.
  • Crew aligning edges of Rammed Earth wall during construction.
  • Subtle layering of crushed brick in stabilized Rammed Earth sculpture.
  • Horizontal lifts in reclaimed brick Rammed Earth wall detail.
  • Clean top edge of Asaase III wall with visible brick particles.

Let’s Build Something Solid

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