This modern, eco-friendly home in Kerala, India is built primarily of mud and other natural materials, along with recycled elements. Passive principles were applied to let in light and much-needed natural ventilation for relief from Kerala’s tropical climate. To combat the heat and the monsoon rain, most conventional homes feature sloped roofs with thick overhangs … Read more
Thousands gathered in the World Heritage city of Djenné in Mali for the annual Grand mosque plastering ceremony. This adobe building is considered to be one of the greatest achievements of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style. The plastering is done with banco, which is a mixture of sand, water, shea butter, rice bran and baobab powder … Read more
With 25,000 euros and 1000 hours of work, Maurizio Cesprini and his partner Paola Gardin rebuilt a ruined home in the medieval village of Ghesc, Italy. They hope other young families will consider their example with a plentiful supply of medieval ghost towns. They also feel drawn to save the rich architectural heritage of artisanal … Read more
In an article titled “Students rebuild communities with sustainable bamboo architecture,” published in www.northbynorthwestern.com it is explained that after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck coastal Ecuador in 2016, the country suffered from severe damages and casualties. The use of heavy building materials was to blame for some of the casualties. Because of the damages from … Read more
Many years ago I was contacted by Mostafa Arefhaghi, an Iranian historian with this review of traditional adobe construction in Iran. Iran is an ancient country where the use of adobe and mud brick techniques have been common for a very long time. Below are some photo’s showing adobe and mud brick structures from historic … Read more
A collective of architects, engineers and non-profits known as Hunnarshala have been rebuilding parts of India that have been affected by various disasters since 2001. They seek community participation and focus on traditional home designs.In the Banni grassland area the traditional circular wattle and daub buildings were replaced with more maintenance free rammed earth. The … Read more