ABSTRACT
As much as one third of the global population lives in traditional unfired earthen housing, and the past fifty years have witnessed a resurgence of interest in earthen materials in contemporary architecture. Building with earth can reduce environmental impacts of construction while expressing unique local geophysical characteristics. From a design perspective, earthen materials can be used by architects to express “genus loci” or “spirit of place” that is emerging as a critical aspect of sustainability. Paradoxically, as the popularity of contemporary earth architecture grows, many current inhabitants of traditional earthen housing are abandoning their traditional dwellings in favour of materials more aligned with conventional notions of progress. The paper investigates the reasons behind these trends of adoption and rejection of earthen architecture, and speculates about the role of architectural design in changing perceptions about earthen materials.
