![]() ![]() “The traditions have been largely ignored because they were victims of a huge cultural amnesia,” Dethier says. Today’s architects are looking at indigenous and vernacular design as greener alternatives to conventional construction and The Art of Earth Architecture shows how it can be applied to modern buildings. Experts say rammed earth-which is a focus of Dethier’s book, along with other earthen techniques, like adobe, mud bricks, and cob-is one of the better options because of its structural stability and small carbon footprint. Increasingly, the construction industry is looking to natural materials-like mass timber, whose full supply chain might not be as sustainable as proponents argue-as a solution. Reducing the building industry’s reliance on carbon-intensive construction materials is an important step for fighting climate change. Aga Khan Trust for Culture/photo by Anne de Henning Shibham, in Yemen, is nicknamed the “Manhattan of the Desert.” A UNESCO World Heritage site, the city features tall towers dating from the 16th century, which are made from stone foundations and mud brick walls. Global steel production accounts for seven to nine percent of carbon emissions. The production of cement-which goes into concrete- accounts for eight percent of global carbon emissions. Concrete, iron, and steel are carbon-intensive materials to produce. According to Architecture 2030, a nonprofit organization that is working to reduce carbon emissions, embodied carbon from the building industry accounts for 11 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. © By Reg› - Régis L›Hostis from The Art of Earth Architecture, published by Princeton Architectural Press.īuildings account for a significant proportion of carbon emissions in two ways: The energy they consume to operate (heating, cooling, and lighting) and the energy required to construct them, known as embodied carbon. Designed by the firm Atelier Koe, this rammed earth house located 30 miles outside of Dakar, Senegal, was intended to be a reprieve from city life. “As we face the dangerous and deep crisis related to climate change, we absolutely and urgently need feasible alternatives,” Dethier tells Curbed in an email interview. This book is both an informative global survey of buildings made from the technique-from ancient Egypt to today-and a call to action: Conventional construction is killing the planet, and we need to introduce more ecologically minded techniques into the fold. Dethier, a curator and historian, has dedicated his 50-plus-year career to exploring architecture made from earthen materials. This house is one of 250 buildings in The Art of Earth Architecture: Past, Present, Future, a new book by Jean Dethier and Princeton Architectural Press. The Art of Earth Architecture: Past, Present, Future features over 250 projects around the world made from earth.
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