In Yemen, there is an ancient city named Sana’a. Known for its buildings made entirely out of mud, Sana’a was once a bustling city full of life. No, that’s not quite right. Sana’a is a bustling city full of life. Centuries after it was first built, many of the mud buildings of Sana’a are still standing. Most of those buildings are residential buildings and people still live in them.
As more and more people realize the need to live in harmony with nature, there is an increasingly urgent search for eco-friendly building materials. The construction industry accounts for 38% of global carbon dioxide emissions, with concrete alone accounting for 7% of global emissions.
“We cannot live in these concrete jungles anymore,” says Salma Samar Damluji, co-founder of the Daw’an Mud Brick Architecture Foundation in Yemen and author of The Architecture of Yemen and its Reconstruction. “We have to consider the environment and biodiversity. We cannot construct in isolation.” A few architects have realized that mud is the solution.
While first impressions of mud usually make it out to be messy, dirty, and unstable, when used correctly, mud can bring a lot to the table. If builders combine mud with lighter materials like bamboo to give it structure, stable and sustainable buildings can be built. When used in construction, mud can actually provide many benefits. One of the biggest benefits is that mud is self-insulated. As a material, it has a high thermal mass, which means it absorbs and releases heat slowly.
A house made of mud therefore has a relatively stable temperature inside despite the fluctuating temperature outside. “Mud walls collect heat during the day from solar radiation and release it at night. The temperature never fluctuates – it’s always at a comfortable level,” says Pamela Jerome, a US architect and president of the Architectural Preservation Studio, which focuses on restoration projects around the world. This greatly reduces the need for air conditioning and heating units.
In addition, mud is a recyclable material that can adapt to fulfill various needs. A house that is no longer needed can slowly return to the Earth. On a smaller scale, it is easy to destroy or add a room to a house to accommodate the number of people living there. “There is a dynamism to it,” says Trevor Marchand, emeritus professor of social anthropology at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. “Mud is very malleable and it responds to the changing demographics of a home.”
While mud will probably not replace traditional building materials like concrete any time soon, it is a technology worthy of further research. Who knows? In the future, we might return back to the materials our first ancestors were using. Sometimes, the best way to solve a problem is to get down to its roots. Or should I say foundations?
Source:
– https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1657469678350x846530621917982500/The%20sustainable%20cities%20made%20from%20mud%20-%20BBC%20Future.pdf
As more and more people realize the need to live in harmony with nature, there is an increasingly urgent search for eco-friendly building materials. The construction industry accounts for 38% of global carbon dioxide emissions, with concrete alone accounting for 7% of global emissions.
“We cannot live in these concrete jungles anymore,” says Salma Samar Damluji, co-founder of the Daw’an Mud Brick Architecture Foundation in Yemen and author of The Architecture of Yemen and its Reconstruction. “We have to consider the environment and biodiversity. We cannot construct in isolation.” A few architects have realized that mud is the solution.
While first impressions of mud usually make it out to be messy, dirty, and unstable, when used correctly, mud can bring a lot to the table. If builders combine mud with lighter materials like bamboo to give it structure, stable and sustainable buildings can be built. When used in construction, mud can actually provide many benefits. One of the biggest benefits is that mud is self-insulated. As a material, it has a high thermal mass, which means it absorbs and releases heat slowly.
A house made of mud therefore has a relatively stable temperature inside despite the fluctuating temperature outside. “Mud walls collect heat during the day from solar radiation and release it at night. The temperature never fluctuates – it’s always at a comfortable level,” says Pamela Jerome, a US architect and president of the Architectural Preservation Studio, which focuses on restoration projects around the world. This greatly reduces the need for air conditioning and heating units.
In addition, mud is a recyclable material that can adapt to fulfill various needs. A house that is no longer needed can slowly return to the Earth. On a smaller scale, it is easy to destroy or add a room to a house to accommodate the number of people living there. “There is a dynamism to it,” says Trevor Marchand, emeritus professor of social anthropology at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. “Mud is very malleable and it responds to the changing demographics of a home.”
While mud will probably not replace traditional building materials like concrete any time soon, it is a technology worthy of further research. Who knows? In the future, we might return back to the materials our first ancestors were using. Sometimes, the best way to solve a problem is to get down to its roots. Or should I say foundations?
Source:
– https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1657469678350x846530621917982500/The%20sustainable%20cities%20made%20from%20mud%20-%20BBC%20Future.pdf
