A rammed earth house designated World Building of the Year

And the award for World Building of the Year goes to… this humble rammed earth house. © CUHKU – KUST

A sign of the times. During the 10th edition of the World Architecture Festival that brought together the cream of international architecture in Berlin from November 15-17, the prestigious World Building of the Year award, equivalent to the Oscars of architecture, was given to an anti-seismic Chinese house made from rammed earth.  Designed by the 1U1V team (One University One Village), researchers from the Hong Kong Chinese university and the university of science and technology in Kunming, the prototype was built by an old Chinese couple following the destruction of their village of Guangming, devastated by the Ludian earthquake in 2014. The house is designed to be resilient in case of new seismic activities while using local traditional materials.

This reward is quite a surprise seeing that the event concentrates the most spectacular projects and the biggest names in architecture. But the jury favored the durability, the low-tech aspect and the social impact of the project. While using rammed earth, architects developed a new method for this ancestral construction technique by reinforcing its capacity to withstand earthquakes. The house thus addresses local and global issues: on top of its earthquake-resistant system, it is also energy efficient and has an affordable production cost: at €104 per square meter, the 148 m2 house was built in four months.

Sectional plan of the house. © CUHKU – KUST

Even though some inhabitants of the village wanted to rebuild in concrete, the earth material (which has its followers all around the world) was favored by the architects who thereby incorporated the rubble of the earthquake that killed 617 people and destroyed 80,000 houses in the north-east province of Yunnan. Steel bars fixed in walls enable to improve the resistance to earthquakes. In an Al Jazeera report, Edward NG, architect heading the team, based on this international recognition, says he is ready to convince the Chinese authorities upon his return to speed up the construction of this type of house for the thousands of people needing them.

The inside of the house. © CUHKU – KUST

The World Building of the Year award, that acknowledges the impact and the ambition of the project, also shows a recognition of architecture at the highest level for lasting and simple solutions, adapted to local resources and with a strong social impact. Especially as this method could be applied in every region of the world where seismic risks are strong and where wealth is low. “This building demonstrates that architecture is just as relevant in the poorest communities as in the richest”, commented Paul Finch, president of the World Architecture Festival.

More information about the World Architecture Festival 2017 and on the winning project 1U1V

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