The annual re-plastering of the Djenne mosque was held with the participation of many people. This is important to maintain the integrity of the world’s largest mud-brick building, which has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage in Danger list since 2016. The mosque and surrounding town were added to the list due to ongoing insecurity in … Read more
Rammed earth portions of the Great Wall of China have been regarded as a weak point in its structure. But these portions of the wall have developed a natural line of defense against deterioration, a new study has found. These soil surfaces on the Great Wall are covered by a “living skin” of tiny, rootless … Read more
The Stray Birds Art Hotel is part of a cliff side ancient village in China. In 2016, it was designated for the ‘Save Old Houses Campaign’ in China, marking the beginning of significant efforts toward cultural preservation and renewal. Chenjiapu Village, with 640 years of history and a selection of rammed-earth and timber-framed dwellings, became … Read more
Speculative real estate practices and the harm they cause affect everyone. The threat of demolition looms over nearly every building, fueled by financial speculation that promotes demolition and new construction. This leads to a scarcity of affordable homes, job losses, and environmental damage. Therefore, we urgently need a socio-ecological transformation of contemporary building practices that … Read more
While most countries are losing many cultural elements, Bhutan is retaining most of theirs. This is largely due to their current king and the ones that came before him. The Ministry of Works and Human Settlement published the Bhutanese Architecture Guidelines in 2014—a comprehensive manual that makes it easy for architects, engineers, planners and craftsmen … Read more
CobBauge House in the UK, designed by Hudson Architects, is the first code-compliant form of cob building, making an ancient building technique fit 21st century requirements. It combines hemp and mud in a unique way. Traditional cob walls would have to be more than one meter thick in order to comply with contemporary building regulations. … Read more