THIS PAPER DESCRIBES the concept of woodless construction, including a comprehensive description of the technology, its historical background, construction techniques and the training of builders. There are also recommendations on how to introduce woodless technology into new regions, including cost, acceptance, climate and training aspects. The major focus is the introduction and use of vault and dome roofing, built without supporting formwork, and with hand-moulded unstabilized earth blocks. “Woodless construction” is the name given to these techniques in the Sahel region of West Africa. The report is in two parts, and the first consists of Chapters 1–3. Chapter 1 outlines the background to the technique, and the problems of the depletion scarcity of resources and of replacing traditional practices with modern alternatives. Chapter 2 considers the different experiences worldwide and the criteria that affect the choice of technique, and gives a detailed description of the woodless earth roof construction techniques. Chapter 3 outlines recommendations and the constraints and criteria for deciding if woodless construction is suitable. It explains how to choose the appropriate technical option and how to introduce the construction technique into local communities. Part II consists of a case study of the Woodless Construction Programme in the Sahel countries of West Africa, where these techniques have been successfully introduced, and shows the experiences of the assimilation of woodless construction in the Sahel. The case study stresses that the techniques have to be adapted to very local contexts and that there is no one method that can be applied.