Clay, straw, hemp and other natural building materials: projects and technical articles on sourcing, processing and building physics.
The new UCCA Clay Museum advances the millennia-old tradition of artisanal ceramics the Chinese metropolis Yixing is renowned for. An armour of red clay tile encloses the exhibition spaces and the open timber roof constructions above them – an expressive space for the presentation of modern ceramic art.
The design of the museum began with a largely cleared site, yet without an operator. Yutaka Terasaki and Bao Mengxian report on how Kengo Kuma & Associates planned the building without needing a detailed briefing.
Hemp lime defies traditional construction material categories. With its effective eco-balance and indoor climate benefits, the material is gaining popularity - even in the concrete industry.
A research team at the Technical University of Braunschweig is investigating the building construction potential of solid, load-bearing external walls made from bricks and earth blocks. The objective is to combine both types of masonry unit in the optimum way.
With the new Fish Market, 3XN/GXN have created a landmark for Sydney. The elegantly curved timber roof spans the largest trading hub for fish and seafood in Australia.
Timber buildings are truly sustainable only if they are designed to be reversible and use rapidly renewable, biogenic insulation materials. A research team has tested how this works in practice.
Mariam Issoufou began early on to make earthen architecture socially acceptable in West African cities. In this interview, she discusses her experiences with this natural material, postcolonial museums, and the future of architectural education in Africa.
With the Escuelas Rurales de Araucanía in southern Chile, architects Cristián Larraín and Rodrigo Duque Motta have delivered more than a model for climate-responsive design. Their pioneering buildings are making a social impact in the rural region.
Indian practice Anupama Kundoo Architects has earned international recognition for its visionary, resource-aware approach to building. In this interview, its founder explains how climate, local materials, and a focus on people can unlock new architectural possibilities.
Xavier Ros is one of the four founding partners of the Catalan architecture firm Harquitectes. An interview:
An interview with Federico Zarattini and Edoardo Giancola:
The BmB Archive at Bergische Universität Wuppertal makes construction knowledge from 1875 to 1975 accessible online via the Detail Inspiration platform. Initiator Georg Giebeler explains the project.
Advertorial By the end of 2023, a new high‑quality residential and living environment had been created in Hamburg’s HafenCity, occupying an exceptional location directly on the River Elbe. Designed by internationally renowned architect Jens Bothe, the light‑filled residential buildings set distinct maritime accents with their open atmosphere, generous daylight, fresh air and unobstructed views. For the balconies – which lend the project The Wave its name due to their distinctive form – high‑quality Twinson Character Massive decking boards in walnut brown from Deceuninck were selected.
It became the winner in the Structural Design Category of the 2025 Detail Construction Award. Its system offers the students the opportunity to remodel their shared apartments by themselves.
Advertorial Opened in October 2025, the Moabiter Kinderhof in Berlin is designed as an open space for the daily lives of children and young people in an urban environment. Kersten Kopp Architekten responded to the unique location between the park and the neighborhood with a complex of buildings consisting of several cubes reminiscent of building blocks, which blend harmoniously among the surrounding trees. The new building was constructed using timber; its structural framework consists of prefabricated modules that were manufactured in the factory and assembled on-site. The architecture is understood as a framework for openness, participation, and orientation. This guiding principle is consistently reflected in the choice of materials: Inside, the rubber flooring norament 926 with the iconic round pastille provides the ideal foundation for children constantly moving in and out between the playground and the building.
Two solar chimneys, a PV system integrated into the roof, and the municipal Deep Lake Water heating and cooling system: The new construction of the School of Architectural Studies was designed as a net zero emissions building and a learning lab for students.
Advertorial A Modern Extension: The historic town hall in Ofterdingen, Baden-Württemberg, has been expanded with a new building that impresses both functionally and architecturally. The design by the Stuttgart-based architects Glück + Partner connects perpendicularly to the historic building, creating a modern administrative structure at a right angle with a spacious forecourt and garden.
For the construction of the multidisciplinary health centre designed by Combas Architectes, the French commune of Charleval embarked on an experiment that reinterprets a traditional building method.
Timothy Allen and Ronan Crippa dismantled a 17th century farmhouse and rebuilt it 700 metres away from the original site. A solid new structure consisting of rammed earth expands the log building, creating a resource-saving ensemble open to the community.
Juri Troy Architects expanded the corporate headquarters of the Austrian electricity provider Windkraft Simonsfeld in Ernstbrunn near Vienna. Solid rammed earth walls provide the two-storey timber frame construction with the required thermal mass.
Between the train station and the wild landscape, Clémence Mansons and François Massin Castan built their home. The timber structure is enveloped by wickerwork mats and rests on the ground floor construction of a former pavilion – a reference to the Toues Cabanées, the flat bottom boats along the banks of the nearby Loire.