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Publish at May 15 2024 Updated May 15 2024

The beauty of mud

It's possible to build homes out of dirt and garbage

Mud bricks

Gandhi is quoted as saying that the best houses would be built with materials found within ten kilometers of the place where they are to be erected. The reality of construction around the world runs counter to this thinking.

This major industry is one of the most polluting. Vinu Daniel, an Indian architect, noticed in his experience the tons of garbage left behind by building sites. This gave him the idea of using it in building projects in India. The same goes for mud, often perceived as a brittle material, whereas a brick of this kind solidified by just 5% cement can support the weight of a man without breaking, even after 30 years immersed in water.

With these facts in mind, the architect decided to use mud, construction site remnants, water bottles left on the ground and tires abandoned in huge landfills to create solid, eco-responsible and beautiful buildings. Indeed, looking at the images of Vinu Daniel's creations, it would be impossible to know that the edifice was made from powdered waste. And yet it was.

This initially personal approach has begun to have a following in India. Good news for the future of Indian architecture and, by extension, for the planet itself.

Running time: 13min23



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  • Revealing appearance

  • Materials, material, materialism

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