Out now! Back To Earth – Urbanization without Depletion

The Senegalese Studio Suddo Neuve is calling for a paradigm shift in the West African construction sector—focusing on replacing the ubiquitous concrete blocks with earth. Conceived as a practical guidebook, Back to Earth delves into the production and application of earth blocks. At the same time, it demonstrates how this local material can meet contemporary building demands while significantly reducing environmental impact. Moreover, it explores the potential for adapting earth-based construction methods to a global context. Offering a West African perspective, Back to Earth advocates for the reorientation of construction practices and highlights the vital role that earth could play in a global shift towards regenerative building.

“We challenge the status quo of reinforced concrete buildings replacing vernacular architecture without consideration or reinterpretation of the latter’sprinciples and materials. As seemingly mundane as the replacement oftraditional building materials with concrete and steel may seem, it epitomizes the disentanglement of humans and the natural environment.”‍

- Studio Suddo Neuve

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Bauhaus Earth Manuals

The Bauhaus Earth Manuals series gathers case studies on building and planning within planetary boundaries. It presents best-practice examples and critically evaluates their scalability in a global context. Available in both print and digital formats, each manual is to encourage the adaptation and further development of regenerative practices.

“The Bauhaus Earth Manuals are not prescriptions but rather demonstrations of potential approaches and testbeds of practice that will inevitably evolve through continual iteration, revision, adaptation, and refinement by like-minded participants in the struggle for system change.”
- Philipp Misselwitz and Alan Organschi