Quentin Wilson, the department chair, chose adobe to make house models in the fifth grade. By the seventh grade he made full-size adobe bricks in his Albuquerque back yard. In 1970 he moved to Ojo Caliente with Maria and raised three children in a run-down, abandoned adobe home which the family reclaimed, renovated, modernized and enlarged. After teaching high school and college math for 5 years, he began to earn his living in solar adobe construction beginning with project management and construction instruction for the Sundwellings Demonstration Project built with 18 students at Ghost Ranch in 1976. His mentor was Peter van Dresser. Following that, he built adobe homes for 25 years as a licensed general contractor while continuing to teach evening and weekend solaradobe classes throughout the Southwest. In 1995, Quentin organized the Department of Southwest Construction at Northern New Mexico College while tapering off his construction business. Now beginning their fourteenth year, the adobe classes represent the only full-time adobe construction program in the USA. After 35 years the family homestead is now quite ready for a new cycle of renovation and a second bathroom. www.quentinwilson.com

Eduardo Carvalho is an architect, born in 1974 in Angola who lives and works in Lisbon, Portugal. Graduated in 1998 from Oporto Faculty of Architecture. Interested in earth architecture since 2001 when attended the Adobe Program in New Mexico with Quentin Wilson. Co-founder in 2002 of Plano B arquitectura, an office dedicated to architectural research with earth and natural materials in conjunction with industrial materials. Co-founder in 2003 of Centro da Terra, the Portuguese Earth Building Association. www.planob.com

Donna Concannon

Kurt Gardella completed his adobe certificate with Quentin and the department in 2005 and has been working with adobe ever since. Inspired by Kurt’s web design and teaching background, Quentin gave him the difficult task of offering one of the department’s hands-on adobe construction courses through the internet. That first basic course has now grown into 10 online classes which include an increasing number of podcast interviews with adobe experts and step-by-step video demonstrations of building techniques from foundation to roof. www.kurtgardella.com

Kirk Higbee

Wayne Williams is the newest instructor to the adobe program graduating in May of 2009. Being interested in adobe building since 2005 he moved to Northern New Mexico after taking Kurt’s first online adobe class in the Spring of 2007. Having the desire and passion for teaching other skills, Wayne is looking forward to taking his passion to a new level in teaching the art of adobe building and restoration.