Building with earth: Anna Heringer and Nripal Adhikary in conversation
Architects working with clay must stand their ground, Anna Heringer and Nripal Adhikary of Abari argueAnna Heringer The two projects of mine that were recognised in the AR Emerging awards are in rural Bangladesh, where the story of my practice began. For a long time, I was not interested in building in Europe, and neither did I receive commissions nor find clients here. During lectures, as long as I talk about far away regions, it makes sense for the audience. The moment I talk about Europe, I see dubious expressions on a lot of faces. I want to prove that we can build with earth here too. The challenge for me is to learn from my work and processes in the global south and see how I can adapt them to European projects. Not only could this enrich building cultures here, but it is also a reckoning with the responsibility of the global north in the climate catastrophe.Nripal Adhikary We have to accept that earth is not as strong as concrete, and that it is not necessarily a problem. I get very nervous about the word sustainability, because it has been coopted by the worlds of money and technology, as if the solutions were machines and gadgets. This is also causing a loss of local knowledge about construction techniques. Sustainability should be about human labour and local resources, and thought about in both social and environmental terms; we forget it is about people, too.Anna Heringer Scale is useful to thinking sustainably. I always try to multiply my design and material decisions by 8 billion people, to think about what would happen if everyone did the same thing as me. Sustainability must be thought about at the global scale. It does not work if it is just for part of the worlds population. When decisions are taken out of fear and greed, we use much more material than we actually need (deeper foundations, thicker structural elements, but also larger rooms and more space than necessary). Building with earth is, to me, inseparable from social justice and matters of equity. It is also a way of accepting decay and death.Nripal Adhikary Just two days ago, there was a heavy storm in Kathmandu, which caused a landslide on one of our construction sites. There was a lot of mud, which destroyed one of the buildings we were working on. My thinking was that we would let the sun dry the site and simply rebuild it. The collapse did not trigger any fear or concern. Earth is such a malleable and forgiving material. We just need a few people to pick the clay back up and put it together again. It was a really empowering realisation. It is very liberating to know that you can just do it; the material is always fixable. If there is a crack, you scratch the surface and plaster it again. It is so forgiving, like our human bodies.Anna Heringer That is a beautiful way of putting it! A crack is absolutely fine, just like a wrinkle. We need to accept these imperfections they make buildings more alive and they call for the maintenance and repair of the built environment. In Ghana, where I have a project on-site, there are objects considered empty and others that are charged: those that have energy and power. I cannot help but think that there are so many soulless buildings, towns and cities, where we do not feel the human touch any more. We need more charged buildings, that have character because they have been cared for, for generations and generations. This idea of care also relates to feminist theories and practices.Nripal Adhikary One of our biggest achievements with Abari is to have contributed to changing the perception of earth and bamboo in Nepal. We have been building with these materials since 2011, but it was the Gorkha quake in 2015 that marked a turning point. A stone and bamboo school we had built near the epicentre was the only building in the area that remained standing. We started to be taken seriously and received a lot of media attention. There was a huge need to build schools and infrastructure after the earthquake.We were commissioned to design a library in Kathmandu, to replace one that had been damaged. It had to be built fast and we were under a lot of scrutiny: it was a public library which had to be earthquakeproof, and it was the first time we were building in the centre of a city. To guarantee safety, our approach was very pragmatic, and we took many cues from traditional architecture. We looked at a lot of temples and replaced structural elements with bamboo, and designed a roof that is independent of the walls if there is an earthquake, the walls can collapse but the roof remains standing.Anna Heringer The truth is that once you become used to building like this, everything else becomes completely unnatural. When you have leftovers, for example, with clay, you just put them back in the ground and do not worry about it. Any material that cannot be picked up with your bare hands, that might require gloves, feels weird. As do the waste and toxic smells. It is similar to being a vegetarian, it becomes a part of you. In the global south, I learnt that process is just as important as outcome, and participation holds real power, both to make decisions and to carry out the manual labour being on-site, working together.Nripal Adhikary The act of building can be full of poetry and fun. It does not have to be hard hats and big machines. It can be more playful and, in the process, you make something very joyful, too.Compared with 10 years ago, there is more listening now, and many more buildings with earth than there used to be, yet I am not seeing change coming from the top. We need a few rebel architects to push at the limits and spur change. We can lead the way by doing things differently if we are ready to take risks, find loopholes in regulations and do things that might not be completely legal. We have to prove what we believe in.Anna Heringer I agree that we cannot just wait for the rules to change. Being your own client can make a significant difference; this is how Martin Rauch is able to push things forward, testing and showing the way.The media also play a part. There are more examples of earth buildings in the press now, but I would like to see magazines differentiate between stabilised earth and non-stabilised earth. I remember the AR Soil issue made a point about the distinction something I am really grateful for, because it hugely helps to prevent greenwashing.Nripal Adhikary Yes, there was an Outrage about how the use of cement in the mix just makes brown concrete. I use that reference a lot. It is because we have been inspired by you and Martin Rauch that we do not use cement to stabilise the earth.It is also encouraging to see architects such as Yasmeen Lari and Dibdo Francis Kr winning architecture awards and not just the earth categories or prizes. As this work is platformed as an alternative way forward, it becomes more mainstream.Building sustainably requires a radical change of politics and a deep reform of our economic systemAnna Heringer This reminds me that in 2008, I met Bjarke Ingels at a conference, and he asked me why social architecture always has to look so boring and what not. A few months later, we were both shortlisted for the AR Emerging awards and it was I who won!I think it is also critical that we become more truthful about the cost of materials, to include their ecological cost. Currently, it is the planet and the entire society, including future generations, that are paying the price. Earth can truly be recycled, without any loss of quality; for all other materials it is a matter of downcycling. And someone is profiting along the way. Building sustainably requires a radical change of politics and a deep reform of our economic system. In Europe, it is currently more expensive to build ecologically, just like taking the train is more expensive than flying. Carbon taxes would certainly make a huge difference. Rules and regulations are too often about profit even when masquerading under the guise of safety.Nripal Adhikary The important question about rules and regulations is to ask who is making them what is their vision, who are they doing it for, and who profits from these rules. Seeing more architects building with earth and more earthen buildings being published makes me hopeful. Regulations will have to follow if there is a critical mass.Anna Heringer NGOs can be important allies in the global south. My concern is when they say they want to build with clay but show images of earth blocks that have been stabilised with cement, or of a wall that is too tall to be raw earth. There are two issues here: misinformation and, once again, fear. Many NGOs and donors love the idea of building with mud but they find it safer with some cement in the mix; others do not see the difference. It is not even a question of aesthetics.Nripal Adhikary My scepticism with NGOs lies in the fact that the people working in them live in concrete houses, but want to use earth for the poor. As if they were not willing to take the risk for themselves. Private clients are more interesting because it is their own money they are investing; they are taking the risk. I enjoy the conversations that ensue about the buildings longevity, its challenges and need for care.We are currently designing a Buddhist monastery, a building type that is supposed to last hundreds of years and we are so proud that they are trusting this material. The client came to see our work and liked its energy; they said they could just sit here and meditate. Some people associate this material with spirituality.Anna Heringer My clients for the Ayurveda centres guest house were fantastic; it is true they both meditated a lot and they were not fearful. Another incredible client I was lucky to work with was a permaculture farmer; they understood the value and preciousness of the earth. I do not think these clients were afraid of decay either. In the end, it is more a question of mindset than technical solutions or matters of regulations.I also think that the fact that building with earth restricts height unless we use a hybrid structure could be seen as a positive thing. Do we really need buildings to be taller than trees?Nripal Adhikary I like to think that, in a hundred years, if users of the future do not like a project of ours, they can return it to the ground. What I know is that I do not feel guilty; I am not causing harm.Anna Heringer Earth is also an extremely inclusive material; the worlds population is a growing resource 8 billion and counting. Anyone with two hands can get involved.Lead image: Studio Anna Heringer was twice a winner in the AR Emerging awards: first in 2006 with the METI school and two years later with the DESI training centre. Both projects were built in Rudrapur, Bangladesh. (Benjamin Staehli, BARTER Ltd)2024-11-11John LinShare AR November 2024Buy Now
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