Tag: adobe

Mud bricks are not just for Minecraft – they can solve real-world refugee housing

Unconfirmed photos are circulating on the internet that a Gazan family has started to rebuild their home using mud bricks. And just a few days ago we reported on a Saudi Arabian designer and his plans for using mud bricks as a solution to the refugee crisis. 

How flat windows work on round and dome-shaped rooms

Round homes ask us to rethink building conventions. Their curves offer comfort, efficiency, and surprising strength—but they require intentional window design. Whether you’re building in the desert, forest, or city fringe, one of these solutions will fit your climate, materials, and aesthetic.

Afghanistan’s earthquake and mud-brick homes. Can they rebuild safer and more sustainably?

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed over 800 people as mud-brick homes collapsed in rain-soaked landslides. Here’s why traditional earthen houses failed, how human-driven slope damage worsened the disaster, and how sustainable, earthquake-resistant construction can save lives.

Earthships: the off-grid homes built to weather any future

Earthships are off-grid, self-sustaining homes designed by Michael Reynolds to provide shelter, water, power, waste treatment, food, and comfort—using recycled and local materials. From forests to deserts, their design adapts to any climate, blending modern resilience with traditional building wisdom.

Iraqi Zaha Hadid’s legacy reinvented in Saudi Arabia’s clay-rooted museum?

She was the first woman and first Muslim to win a Pritzker Prize and was notorious for blowing through budgets, with no concern for environmental issues. Her clients did not find this problematic. Has the Zaha Hadad brand become penitent in its latest project?

This stunning ancient citadel in the Sahara Desert Has a mysterious past

Today, the Rock Round Palace stands as a historical site, a reminder of the diverse cultural heritage that once thrived in the region. Videos circulating on Youtube suggest that anyone off the street can wander inside and around the citadel suggesting it's not being protected well for future generations.

The vernacular architecture book

Can architects, and students of architecture do better for planet and people? Yes, the answers are in the bible of vernacular architecture called Habitat: Vernacular Architecture for a Changing World, edited by architect Sandra Piesik with contributions from about 100 architects who specialise in geographic regions and materials. 

Tiny house built from diapers and concrete

An entire tiny house was built with a used diaper and concrete mixture.

Super Adobe by Cal-Tech and Nader Khalili

Want to make a low cost home from natural, local materials that last? Try a Super Adobe invented by Nader Khalili.

Gaza’s 5-Star Al Deira Hotel built with adobe bricks

Gaza's five star hotel, especially one that is made with adobe brick. Designed by the Palestinian architect Rashid Abdelhamid, who was born and trained in Algeria, the 22 room Aldeira Hotel features domed ceilings and arches and a resplendent earth-toned facade. The hotel is regularly used by foreign journalists covering Gaza.

Yemen’s Shibam is 400 towers made from earth – like a Manhattan in the desert

If you have lost faith in earth architecture, take note: Yemen's Manhattan of the desert, Shibam, boasts 400 habitable clay towers!