by Katy Purviance on
03/05/10 @
11:06:25 pm
Categories:
Green Design,
Vernacular | 200 words | 170 views
Some of the oldest buildings on the planet are made of earth. currently it is estimated that one half of the world’s population - approximately three billion people on six continents - lives or works in buildings constructed of earth.
Earth is a 100% eco-friendly building material. it is neither manufactured nor transported.
a wall made from raw earth serves as a natural air conditioner, being warm in winter and cool in summer. When the building is demolished, the earth returns to the soil and can be recycled indefinitely.
Largely shunned since the arrival of its close cousin ‘concrete’ in the 1950s, earth is now back in fashion as its ecological and aesthetic benefits attract the attention of an increasing numbers of contemporary architects and eco-builders. industrial sectors devoted to earthen building are currently emerging as this sustainable material wins over.
The misconceptions associated with earth architecture is that many assume it’s only used for housing in poor rural areas - but there are examples of airports, embassies, hospitals, museums, and factories that are made of earth. current research efforts are focused on increasing its resistance and processing speed in order to make it a modern and competitive material.
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