ABSTRACT
Sustainable living solutions, using natural materials such as earth construction has been proven to be successful for many centuries. In South Africa there is a variety of sustainable buildings, but not enough of these utilize earth construction techniques while claiming green building status. The use of earth construction methods can be positioned at the core of sustainable building. The challenge is the acceptability of upgraded earth building techniques utilised within contemporary public buildings. This paper reflects on green building that incorporated earth materials in contemporary construction. Several contemporary buildings illustrate skills transfer and public education as a holistic approach to earth constructed green building. It can be expected that more examples of this contemporary design approach will continue to set the bar for truly green buildings in South Africa.
