Scientists and architectures may have found the future in the construction of buildings, by returning to an old material used for construction, mud.
In Sana’a, Yemen, ancient structures are completely made from this material. The mud buildings are still inhabited today. In Djenné, Niger, residents gather each year to repair their Great Mosque, the largest mud building in the world. And in Rudrapur, Bangladesh, schools and buildings are made from materials found in the area, like mud.
There are many benefits of living in mud buildings. First, mud is porous and allows moisture into the house, improving the indoor air quality. They can also keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Mud walls have a high thermal mass which means they slowly absorb heat and store it,
preventing the house from becoming too hot.
Constructing with mud also reduces the level of carbon emissions. Building with concrete leaves a huge carbon footprint, accounting for around 7% of global CO2 emissions. Constructing with mud has a very low impact on the environment and the material itself is fully recyclable.
“Mud is the champion of future sustainable construction,” says Anna Heringer, an Austrian
architect. “It is the only material we can recycle as often as we like, without using any energy.”
Another benefit of mud buildings is that they can also withstand extreme weather events such as flash floods and intense heat. They can also change over time. Buildings can easily be added to the home if the family grows, and buildings can be left to decompose and turn back into soil if it shrinks.
“Mud buildings are extremely adaptable,” says Salma Samar Damluji, co-founder of the
Daw’an Mud Brick Architecture Foundation in Yemen. “If you want to pull a wall down or change the design, you can recycle all the materials.”
“It is the architecture of the future,” says Damluji.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220705-the-sustainable-cities-made-from-mud
In Sana’a, Yemen, ancient structures are completely made from this material. The mud buildings are still inhabited today. In Djenné, Niger, residents gather each year to repair their Great Mosque, the largest mud building in the world. And in Rudrapur, Bangladesh, schools and buildings are made from materials found in the area, like mud.
There are many benefits of living in mud buildings. First, mud is porous and allows moisture into the house, improving the indoor air quality. They can also keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
Mud walls have a high thermal mass which means they slowly absorb heat and store it,
preventing the house from becoming too hot.
Constructing with mud also reduces the level of carbon emissions. Building with concrete leaves a huge carbon footprint, accounting for around 7% of global CO2 emissions. Constructing with mud has a very low impact on the environment and the material itself is fully recyclable.
“Mud is the champion of future sustainable construction,” says Anna Heringer, an Austrian
architect. “It is the only material we can recycle as often as we like, without using any energy.”
Another benefit of mud buildings is that they can also withstand extreme weather events such as flash floods and intense heat. They can also change over time. Buildings can easily be added to the home if the family grows, and buildings can be left to decompose and turn back into soil if it shrinks.
“Mud buildings are extremely adaptable,” says Salma Samar Damluji, co-founder of the
Daw’an Mud Brick Architecture Foundation in Yemen. “If you want to pull a wall down or change the design, you can recycle all the materials.”
“It is the architecture of the future,” says Damluji.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220705-the-sustainable-cities-made-from-mud
