[Eat Me Build Me] Brick
Earth-based materials have been used historically for two purposes: as a building material, and as an edible substance. Earth construction has been found dating over millennia and is still sheltering approximately a third of the world population. Materials and methods such as rammed earth, compressed earth bricks, and cob are experiencing a renaissance with upscaled construction technologies that enhance mineralogical and particle characterization. On the same token, sourced clay-rich earth materials have been traditionally used as edible substances in Africa, the Carrebians, and the Middle East, Ancient China, and Medieval Europe. Traditional recipes such as bonbon tè (Haitian mud cookies) and the Calabash Chalk are only a few examples of the human diet for religious beliefs, traditional local medicine, or as part of a regular menu.
However, negative modern interpretations have emerged to using earth; Earth building materials are often perceived as “dirty” and poor mans’ choice for housing, and similarly, eating earth is associated with the pathology and poverty practice called Geophagia. While investigating the past of each tradition, this work speculates about the contemporary and futuristic possibilities of using earth as a nutritional resource for the built environment.
Linking anthropology, history, and building technology, this research examines and re-discovers supply chains of readily available earth-based materials as both building and nutritional substances. As part of this work, “recipes” for ancient earth traditions are investigated, and possible integration within the built environment are proposed. Using low and high tech methods, this work tests raw soils to their particle content and mineralogy, while mapping their buildable and edible potencies, with the objective of identifying whether clay-rich soils can serve as durable building facades that can be, if such need arises, edible.
Earth-based materials have been used historically for two purposes: as a building material, and as an edible substance. Earth construction has been found dating over millennia and is still sheltering approximately a third of the world population. Materials and methods such as rammed earth, compressed earth bricks, and cob are experiencing a renaissance with upscaled construction technologies that enhance mineralogical and particle characterization. On the same token, sourced clay-rich earth materials have been traditionally used as edible substances in Africa, the Carrebians, and the Middle East, Ancient China, and Medieval Europe. Traditional recipes such as bonbon tè (Haitian mud cookies) and the Calabash Chalk are only a few examples of the human diet for religious beliefs, traditional local medicine, or as part of a regular menu.
However, negative modern interpretations have emerged to using earth; Earth building materials are often perceived as “dirty” and poor mans’ choice for housing, and similarly, eating earth is associated with the pathology and poverty practice called Geophagia. While investigating the past of each tradition, this work speculates about the contemporary and futuristic possibilities of using earth as a nutritional resource for the built environment.
Linking anthropology, history, and building technology, this research examines and re-discovers supply chains of readily available earth-based materials as both building and nutritional substances. As part of this work, “recipes” for ancient earth traditions are investigated, and possible integration within the built environment are proposed. Using low and high tech methods, this work tests raw soils to their particle content and mineralogy, while mapping their buildable and edible potencies, with the objective of identifying whether clay-rich soils can serve as durable building facades that can be, if such need arises, edible.
1/2021—Ongoing
Collaborators
Sharon Yavo Ayalon