TED2017
Anna Heringer: The warmth and wisdom of mud buildings
Filmed:
Readability: 4
1,139,018 views
"There are a lot of resources given by nature for free -- all we need is our sensitivity to see them and our creativity to use them," says architect Anna Heringer. Heringer uses low-tech materials like mud and bamboo to create structures from China to Switzerland, Bangladesh and beyond. Visit an awe-inspiring school, an elegant office and cozy social spaces -- all built from natural materials -- in this delightful talk.
Anna Heringer - Architect
Anna Heringer’s sustainable designs lend breathtaking forms to easily-available local materials while developing the skills and consciousness of their builders. Full bio
Anna Heringer’s sustainable designs lend breathtaking forms to easily-available local materials while developing the skills and consciousness of their builders. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
It was the end of October
in the mountains in Austria.
in the mountains in Austria.
0
1096
3357
00:17
I was there on a field trip
with my architecture students from Zurich.
with my architecture students from Zurich.
1
5442
3436
00:21
And when we reached a high valley,
2
9660
3366
00:25
I surprised them with the news
that there was no hut
that there was no hut
3
13799
2469
00:28
or hotel booked for the night.
4
16292
1618
00:31
It was not a mistake.
5
19552
1667
00:33
It was totally on purpose.
6
21243
1888
00:37
The challenge was to build our own shelter
with whatever we could find.
with whatever we could find.
7
25093
3817
00:42
And we all survived.
8
30662
1392
00:44
It was cold, it was really tough ...
9
32078
2293
00:47
and it was a great learning experience
10
35022
2683
00:49
to discover that there are a lot
of resources given by nature for free,
of resources given by nature for free,
11
37729
3810
00:53
and all that we need
is our sensitivity to see them ...
is our sensitivity to see them ...
12
41563
3817
00:58
and our creativity to use them.
13
46210
2000
01:02
I found myself in a similar situation.
14
50330
3087
01:06
When I was an architecture student
about 13 years ago,
about 13 years ago,
15
54425
4501
01:10
I went to Bangladesh
to a remote village called Rudrapur
to a remote village called Rudrapur
16
58950
3289
01:14
with the aim to design and build
a school as my thesis project.
a school as my thesis project.
17
62263
3365
01:18
I had lived in that village before
when I was 19 and a volunteer
when I was 19 and a volunteer
18
66188
3195
01:21
at Dipshikha, a Bangladeshi NGO
for rural development.
for rural development.
19
69407
2937
01:24
And what I had learned from them
20
72368
1682
01:26
was that the most sustainable strategy
for sustainable development
for sustainable development
21
74074
4778
01:30
is to cherish and to use
your very own resources and potential,
your very own resources and potential,
22
78876
5159
01:36
and not get dependent on external factors.
23
84059
3429
01:39
And this is what I tried to do
with my architecture as well.
with my architecture as well.
24
87512
2856
01:43
In terms of suitable building
materials for my school,
materials for my school,
25
91359
3381
01:46
I didn't have to look far.
26
94764
1428
01:48
They were right under my feet:
27
96718
1855
01:51
mud, earth, dirt, clay,
however you call it ...
however you call it ...
28
99732
3855
01:56
and bamboo that was growing all around.
29
104788
2333
02:01
Electricity in remote Bangladesh is rare,
30
109400
4135
02:05
but we didn't need it.
31
113559
1206
02:06
We had human energy
32
114789
1599
02:08
and the people were happy
to have the work.
to have the work.
33
116412
2198
02:12
Tools were an issue, too,
34
120188
1939
02:14
but we had these guys,
35
122151
1563
02:15
water buffalos.
36
123738
1428
02:18
We had also tried a bit cows,
37
126730
2136
02:20
but interestingly,
they were too intelligent.
they were too intelligent.
38
128890
2579
02:24
They were always stepping
in the holes of the previous round.
in the holes of the previous round.
39
132010
2896
02:26
They wouldn't mix the mud, the straw --
40
134930
1858
02:28
(Laughter)
41
136812
1050
02:29
the sand, which are
the ingredients in the walls.
the ingredients in the walls.
42
137886
2635
02:34
And except a small team of consultants
43
142171
2374
02:36
like my partner
for realization, Eike Roswag,
for realization, Eike Roswag,
44
144569
2103
02:38
and my basket-weaver cousin, Emmanuel,
45
146696
2618
02:41
it was all built by craftsmen
from the village.
from the village.
46
149338
4358
02:47
And this is the METI school
after six months of construction.
after six months of construction.
47
155613
3284
02:50
(Applause)
48
158921
2343
02:53
Thank you.
49
161288
1159
02:54
(Applause)
50
162471
1602
02:56
Load-bearing earth walls
that really ground the school,
that really ground the school,
51
164097
4105
03:00
and large bamboo structures
that bring the lightness in.
that bring the lightness in.
52
168226
3594
03:05
That's the classroom on the ground floor.
53
173635
2421
03:09
Attached to it are the caves.
54
177072
1770
03:11
They're for reading,
for snuggling, for solo work,
for snuggling, for solo work,
55
179763
2414
03:14
for meditation, for playing ...
56
182201
1642
03:16
and the classroom on the top.
57
184891
1753
03:21
The children all signed
with their names in Bengali the doors,
with their names in Bengali the doors,
58
189831
3783
03:25
and they did not only sign,
they also helped building the school.
they also helped building the school.
59
193638
3341
03:30
And I'm sure you all had your hands
in mud or clay before.
in mud or clay before.
60
198207
2902
03:33
It's wonderful to touch. I love it.
61
201133
1813
03:34
The children loved it.
62
202970
1340
03:36
And can you imagine the feeling
of a small boy or a girl
of a small boy or a girl
63
204894
4855
03:41
or an illiterate day laborer standing
in front of that school building
in front of that school building
64
209773
3929
03:45
and knowing that you built this
65
213726
1541
03:47
out of the ordinary bamboo
and just the dirt underneath your feet,
and just the dirt underneath your feet,
66
215291
3594
03:50
using nothing but your hands?
67
218909
2646
03:55
That gives such an enormous boost
of trust and confidence
of trust and confidence
68
223561
5677
04:01
in yourself and the community.
69
229262
2016
04:04
And in the material.
70
232810
1484
04:07
Especially mud has a very poor image.
71
235348
2869
04:10
When we think of mud, we think of dirt --
72
238241
3104
04:13
it's ugly, it's nondurable --
73
241369
2214
04:15
and this is the image I want to change.
74
243607
2531
04:19
In fact, it's the 11th rainy season
for this school now,
for this school now,
75
247159
3747
04:22
really harsh, horizontal monsoon rains,
76
250930
3254
04:26
and the walls are standing strong.
77
254208
2547
04:29
(Applause)
78
257131
4509
04:33
So how does it work?
79
261664
1342
04:35
First rule, a good foundation
that keeps the wall dry from the ground,
that keeps the wall dry from the ground,
80
263030
4156
04:39
and second rule, a good roof
that protects from the top,
that protects from the top,
81
267210
3696
04:42
and third rule, erosion control.
82
270930
2510
04:46
Mud walls need speed breakers
83
274193
2286
04:48
so that the rainwater
cannot run down the wall fast,
cannot run down the wall fast,
84
276503
4208
04:52
and these speed breakers
could be lines of bamboo
could be lines of bamboo
85
280735
3282
04:56
or stones or straw mixed into the mud,
86
284041
3581
04:59
just like a hill needs trees or rocks
in order to prevent erosion.
in order to prevent erosion.
87
287646
5261
05:04
It works just the same way.
88
292931
1373
05:07
And people always ask me
if I have to add cement to the mud,
if I have to add cement to the mud,
89
295340
4033
05:11
and the answer is no.
90
299397
1475
05:13
There is no stabilizer,
no coating on these walls,
no coating on these walls,
91
301311
3739
05:17
only in the foundation.
92
305074
1324
05:20
So this is the close-up of the wall
93
308294
1818
05:22
after 10 rainy seasons,
94
310136
3460
05:25
and as much as I grew a bit older,
95
313620
2440
05:28
the wall got some wrinkles as well.
96
316084
1722
05:29
The edges my not be as sharp as before,
97
317830
2167
05:32
but it still looks pretty good,
98
320021
2152
05:34
and if it needs repairing,
99
322197
1730
05:35
it is really easy to do.
100
323951
1991
05:37
You just take the broken part,
101
325966
1743
05:39
make it wet, and put it back on the wall,
102
327733
2738
05:42
and it will look the same as before.
103
330495
2023
05:44
Wish that would work on me, too.
104
332542
1543
05:46
(Laughter)
105
334109
3301
05:50
Yeah, and the great thing is,
106
338685
2156
05:52
if an earth wall is not needed anymore,
107
340865
2421
05:55
it can go back to the ground it came from,
108
343310
3241
05:58
turn into a garden,
109
346575
1908
06:00
or get fully recycled
without any loss of quality.
without any loss of quality.
110
348507
3523
06:04
There's no other material
that can do this,
that can do this,
111
352607
2091
06:06
and this is why mud is so excellent
in terms of environmental performance.
in terms of environmental performance.
112
354722
4325
06:12
What about the economic sustainability?
113
360421
2135
06:15
When we built the school,
114
363252
1266
06:16
I practically lived
on the construction site,
on the construction site,
115
364542
2377
06:18
and in the evening, I used to go
with the workers to the market,
with the workers to the market,
116
366943
3024
06:21
and I could see
how they spent their money.
how they spent their money.
117
369991
2076
06:24
And they would buy
the vegetables from their neighbors,
the vegetables from their neighbors,
118
372984
3300
06:28
they would get a new haircut
or a new blouse from the tailor.
or a new blouse from the tailor.
119
376308
3285
06:32
And because the main part
of the building budget
of the building budget
120
380858
3858
06:36
was spent on craftsmanship,
121
384740
2145
06:38
the school wasn't just a building,
122
386909
2432
06:41
it became a real catalyst
for local development,
for local development,
123
389365
4164
06:45
and that made me happy.
124
393553
1500
06:48
If I had designed the school
in cement and steel,
in cement and steel,
125
396989
2398
06:51
this money would have been exported
and lost for those families.
and lost for those families.
126
399411
3603
06:56
(Applause)
127
404514
4174
07:01
The building budget at that time
was 35,000 euros --
was 35,000 euros --
128
409935
3571
07:05
it's probably doubled by now --
129
413530
1961
07:07
and this is a lot of money
for that region,
for that region,
130
415515
3088
07:10
and especially because this money
is working within the community
is working within the community
131
418627
4005
07:14
and rotating fast,
132
422656
1278
07:15
and not on the stock market.
133
423958
1682
07:18
So when it comes to the economic
sustainability of my project,
sustainability of my project,
134
426402
4857
07:23
my main question is, who gets the profit?
135
431283
3246
07:28
How many of you in here
136
436949
2017
07:30
have some experience
living in a mud house?
living in a mud house?
137
438990
2182
07:33
Chris Anderson, where is your hand?
138
441514
2037
07:35
(Laughter)
139
443575
1057
07:36
You? OK.
140
444656
1174
07:39
Yeah.
141
447139
1151
07:40
It seems totally out of our focus,
142
448314
3165
07:43
but approximately three billion people
all around the planet
all around the planet
143
451503
4634
07:48
are living in earth houses,
144
456161
2483
07:50
and it is a traditional building material
145
458668
2286
07:52
in Europe just as much as in Africa.
146
460978
2713
07:58
Strangely enough,
147
466076
1541
07:59
mud is not considered worthy
of being studied at universities ...
of being studied at universities ...
148
467641
3665
08:04
so I brought the dirt to Harvard,
149
472281
3198
08:07
(Laughter)
150
475503
2207
08:09
precisely 60 tons of dirt
right in front of the main facade
right in front of the main facade
151
477734
3976
08:13
of the Graduate School of Design.
152
481734
1602
08:17
Students and faculty
rolled up their sleeves,
rolled up their sleeves,
153
485478
2144
08:19
got their hands dirty
154
487646
1155
08:20
and transformed the front
into a warm place for people to gather.
into a warm place for people to gather.
155
488825
3399
08:25
Children would climb the structures,
156
493248
1716
08:26
skaters would ride the ramp,
157
494988
1517
08:28
students having lunch breaks,
158
496529
1746
08:30
and it was particularly fascinating to see
how many people were touching the wall,
how many people were touching the wall,
159
498299
4072
08:34
and we usually don't go around cities
caressing our facades, right?
caressing our facades, right?
160
502395
3853
08:38
(Laughter)
161
506272
1861
08:44
(Laughter)
162
512366
2647
08:48
Of course, this was a small-scale project,
163
516603
2007
08:50
but in terms of awareness-building
and in terms of education,
and in terms of education,
164
518634
3096
08:53
it was like an acupuncture trigger point.
165
521754
2530
08:57
And in fact, in more and more countries,
166
525701
3580
09:01
load-bearing earthen structures
are not allowed to be built anymore
are not allowed to be built anymore
167
529305
4985
09:06
although they're traditional
and have lasted for hundreds of years,
and have lasted for hundreds of years,
168
534314
3502
09:09
and not because the material is weak,
169
537840
2016
09:11
but because there are
no architects and engineers
no architects and engineers
170
539880
3152
09:15
who know how to deal with that material.
171
543056
2436
09:17
So education on all levels,
172
545516
1674
09:19
for craftsmen, engineers and architects,
173
547214
2676
09:21
is really strongly needed.
174
549914
1767
09:24
Equally important
is technological development,
is technological development,
175
552085
3344
09:27
like prefabrication developed
by my colleague Martin Rauch,
by my colleague Martin Rauch,
176
555453
3093
09:30
who is an Austrian artist
and expert in earthen structures.
and expert in earthen structures.
177
558570
3986
09:34
And he has created technologies
for rammed earth elements,
for rammed earth elements,
178
562580
3610
09:38
for prefabrication
of rammed earth elements
of rammed earth elements
179
566214
2433
09:40
that include insulation,
wall heatings and coolings
wall heatings and coolings
180
568671
3761
09:44
and all sorts of electrical fittings
181
572456
1801
09:46
that can be layered
to multistoried buildings,
to multistoried buildings,
182
574281
2293
09:48
and this is important in order to scale up
183
576598
2677
09:51
and in order to fasten up the processes,
184
579299
1968
09:53
like in the Ricola Herb Center
in Switzerland.
in Switzerland.
185
581291
3300
09:58
And finally, we need good built projects
186
586555
3128
10:01
that prove you can build
with an ancient material
with an ancient material
187
589707
3095
10:04
in a very modern way.
188
592826
1868
10:07
It is not a matter
of how old a material is;
of how old a material is;
189
595434
3694
10:11
it's a matter of our creative
ability to use it today.
ability to use it today.
190
599152
3481
10:16
These, for example, are three hostels
191
604936
2255
10:19
that I did in China in the village Baoxi,
192
607215
2347
10:21
about six hours by bus from Shanghai.
193
609586
2786
10:25
The outside shape is woven bamboo,
194
613859
2691
10:28
and the inside core
is stones and rammed earth.
is stones and rammed earth.
195
616574
3563
10:33
And it is a traditional building material.
196
621058
2456
10:35
Even large parts
of the Great Wall of China
of the Great Wall of China
197
623538
2193
10:37
have been built with rammed earth,
198
625755
1645
10:39
but it's getting replaced by concrete.
199
627424
2293
10:42
And this trend is happening very fast.
200
630411
3474
10:45
Within only a couple of years,
201
633909
2976
10:48
China has consumed more cement
than the United States
than the United States
202
636909
2993
10:51
in the entire 20th century.
203
639926
2236
10:54
And this trend of replacing
natural building materials
natural building materials
204
642618
3509
10:58
with materials that require
a lot of energy,
a lot of energy,
205
646151
2253
11:00
that are energy-intensive,
206
648428
1786
11:02
and that emit CO2
207
650238
2041
11:04
is really clearly contributing
to climate change.
to climate change.
208
652303
3340
11:07
And we have alternatives,
209
655667
1413
11:09
such as mud, stones, timber,
bamboo, earth,
bamboo, earth,
210
657104
4251
11:13
that are totally effective options
for all sorts of purposes.
for all sorts of purposes.
211
661379
3888
11:17
This, for example,
is an office building that we did
is an office building that we did
212
665926
2547
11:20
for Omicron Electronics in Austria.
213
668497
2381
11:22
Mud is healthy for the planet,
but also for the human bodies,
but also for the human bodies,
214
670902
2897
11:25
and the material is low-tech,
215
673823
2642
11:28
but the performance is high-tech.
216
676489
2223
11:30
The earth walls keep the highly
sophisticated tools in the building safe
sophisticated tools in the building safe
217
678736
4079
11:34
by naturally regulating moisture.
218
682839
1911
11:37
And this wall in my own home
219
685590
3512
11:41
is our humidfier.
220
689126
1428
11:44
We love our six tons of dirt at home
221
692372
2930
11:47
not only because
it's healthy and sustainable.
it's healthy and sustainable.
222
695326
2490
11:50
Its archaic warmth
is touching deep within.
is touching deep within.
223
698397
3056
11:54
My personal dream is to build
a mud skyscraper right in Manhattan.
a mud skyscraper right in Manhattan.
224
702708
4722
11:59
(Laughter)
225
707820
2039
12:01
Yeah.
226
709883
1151
12:03
(Applause)
227
711058
2199
12:05
And this dream isn't so crazy
228
713281
1549
12:06
if you think of the mud city
of Shibam in Yemen
of Shibam in Yemen
229
714854
2192
12:09
that was built in the 16th century
230
717070
1865
12:10
and has lasted now for 500 years.
231
718959
3268
12:15
What was possible that long ago
is possible today as well,
is possible today as well,
232
723267
4107
12:19
and we can apply
all our technical know-how
all our technical know-how
233
727398
3604
12:23
to these ancient materials
234
731026
2010
12:25
so that it meets our needs and our dreams.
235
733060
3602
12:30
All around us,
236
738403
1874
12:32
and just below our feet ...
237
740301
1752
12:35
are wonderful natural building materials.
238
743060
2767
12:37
Let's use them.
239
745851
1375
12:40
And I deeply believe
240
748221
1916
12:42
our homes, our work spaces, our cities
241
750161
2753
12:45
would become more healthy and sustainable
242
753716
2579
12:49
and more humane
243
757540
1222
12:52
and beautiful.
244
760087
1206
12:53
Thank you.
245
761932
1151
12:55
(Applause)
246
763107
5043
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Anna Heringer - ArchitectAnna Heringer’s sustainable designs lend breathtaking forms to easily-available local materials while developing the skills and consciousness of their builders.
Why you should listen
Before she became an architect, a visit to a small village in Bangladesh immediately hooked Anna Heringer on an ancient and yet neglected building material -- earth. With its easy availability, durability and endless recyclability, she realized, there was a reason its use has persisted for thousands of years.
Since then, Heringer’s love affair with sustainable materials has deepened, resulting in acclaimed projects like woven bamboo hostels in China and the METI Handmade School in Rudrapur, where, along with local workers and schoolchildren, she created a building that drew on locally abundant materials and fostered modern, sustainable building skills in local craftsmen. In the 2014 book, The Future of Architecture, she and her coauthors argue for a future that is low-impact and adaptable.
Anna Heringer | Speaker | TED.com