Earth – building a sustainable and democratic future

Alain Briatte, Anaïs Guéguen-Perrin, Argus Caruso, Francisco Barros, MST representative

The combination of experiences and construction techniques around the world is making earthen houses increasingly economical, sustainable and beautiful!

These techniques and research are spread throughout the world. Here we have a glimpse of France, which, through Craterre/ENSAG, has a postgraduate program dedicated exclusively to earthen architecture and construction. A glimpse of other parts of the world, including Africa, our sister continent, where several techniques originated and blended with many others already used by the indigenous peoples of Brazil.

The contemporary Brazilian works on display here demonstrate the versatility of land use. The MST (Municipal Workers' Movement) mobilizes collective efforts to build earthen buildings in settlements. And some residences help break some of the paradigms still prevalent in Brazil. The houses can be high-end or nondescript, simply appropriate to their context. In short, earth is everywhere, being used in a wide variety of ways.

We've come together here to spread this knowledge as much as possible. There's no major industry interested in this topic, so there's no advertising. Land is almost always free. It's right under our feet. We're still few, but we're very confident in what we're doing. Not only is the house healthier, but we're emitting much less CO2 during and after construction. We, architects and builders, are extremely responsible for the planet's degradation. The construction industry is one of the largest contributors to the planet's CO2 emissions. It's up to us to decide which construction materials best suit the urgent need to change this situation.

Free

Registration

Registrations must be made here.
Registration will be open until the start of the activity, on site, as long as there are spaces available.

Virtual Tour of the 14th BIAsp 

The 14th São Paulo International Architecture Biennial, Extremes: Architectures for a hot world., It has expanded beyond physical space and can now be visited from anywhere! 

The virtual tour offers a new perspective on the exhibition, which took place from September 18th to October 19th at the Oca in Ibirapuera Park, allowing for fluid, free, and intuitive navigation between the different spaces. During the visit, curatorial content, high-definition images, and details that deepen the spatial and conceptual understanding of the artworks are available. 

The platform broadens access, preserves the memory of the Biennial, and creates new ways to experience architecture. 

Visit the 14th BIAsp here!  

Explore at your own pace, revisit routes, and deepen your experiences. 

The virtual tour will soon be available on the IABsp (Brazilian Institute of Architects – São Paulo branch) website.