Overview
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ABSTRACT
Earthen architecture has toured the world over the millennia and is now more than current in the global economic and ecological context. History takes us across continents in the footsteps of these materials. From the cradle of Mesopotamia to the pre-Columbian cultures of South America, the land has served as much to build a rural habitat as to build impressive military citadels.
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Read the articleAUTHOR
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Natacha BELLOIR: Operations manager – Ministère des Armées
INTRODUCTION
In this article, we take a world tour on the theme of earthen constructions, some of which have existed for thousands of years. Europe is no exception, with its landscapes dotted with adobe and mud-brick buildings, as well as the use of cob, now preserved in historic districts.
After a first part devoted to the wealth of world heritage, whose preservation is now assured, the article will address several ideas in as many sections:
Why is earthen architecture still so relevant today?
How can we use the heritage of earthen housing to motivate both tourism and green innovation?
What are the environmental benefits of building with earth?
How can earthen architecture be used as a double lever to safeguard cultural diversity and often ancestral technical know-how at the same time?
The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
KEYWORDS
earthen | raw earth | earthen architecture
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Bibliography
Also in our database
Standards and norms
Règles professionnelles: Enduit en terre crue sur supports composés de terre crue. Éditions Le Moniteur (2013).
Directory
Manufacturers – Suppliers – Distributors (non-exhaustive list)
Company specializing in adobe construction – https://www.construction-pise.fr
Organizations – Federations – Associations (non-exhaustive list)
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