Earth building and the natural environment

Abstract

The aim of this report is to investigate the way in which a respect and concern for the natural environment, influences the choice to use earth as a building material. The first part of this report investigates the recent worldwide growth in concern for the environment, and the way in which this has resulted in the growing development of "Green Architecture". It also investigates the influence of environmental concerns on the recent growth in earth building around the world, and the qualities of earth which make it an environmentally beneficial material. The second part of this report looks at the particular example of the community of Eltham in Australia, and the work of Alistair Knox, a man who designed and built many earth buildings in this community. This example is used to illustrate the way in which a particular philosophy of respect towards the natural environment, influences the choice to build in earth. Knox's personal philosophy and the way in which it influenced the way he designed, and the buildings he built, is investigated. The choice of this example was based on the fact that the Eltham community was influential in the development of earth building in Australia, and that Alistair Knox had written about his personal philosophy, and information was available about the buildings he designed. In conclusion it is determined that, a concern for the environment does not always result in using earth as a building material, and there are many other factors besides the environment which influence the choice to build with earth, but the environmental benefits of earth are great and a concern for the environment is a major determining factor in the choice to use earth.