Building with earth: traditional materials in modern world

Earth, timber, brick, stone, bamboo and straw. Historically, they are materials for construction and architecture. And now, combined with new techniques, they are restoring vitality in civil engineering.

Construction with earthen materials is one of the oldest traditional building techniques in the world and has been used for several thousand years in China, where at least 100 million people still live in earth dwellings in rural areas.

A research team led by Mu Jun from the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture won an award on December 9 of 2019, for the pioneering earth architecture project.

The project "Building with EARTH" wins the bronze medal of the 2019 World Habitat Awards. [Photo/world-habitat.org]

"Building with earth is not only improving the quality of life for hundreds of villagers in China, it is also creating economic resilience in communities that have suffered from rural-urban migration," said the award's official website when introducing the project.

"No longer a symbol of poverty, earthen homes are becoming part of the solution."