ABSTRACT
Earthen materials’ degradability is praised for contributing to a more circular building culture, while it is also at the origin of these materials’ water-solubility and erodibility, which are more often considered an obstacle than an opportunity: are earthen constructions durable enough? This paper expounds the results of a post-occupancy survey conducted on five contemporary buildings built with raw earth in Belgium since 2016. The aim is to evaluate how they have evolved in time and how actors concerned (material providers, contractors, architects, clients…) consider their durability. The description of the practices and devices on which the materials’ durability relies in the buildings under scrutiny attest to how durability is also extrinsic to the material itself, depending much on the assemblies of which it is part.
