Earth, in common use for architectural construction for thousands of years, has in the past thirty years attracted renewed attention as a healthy, environment-friendly and economical building material. What needs to be considered in this context? The manual Building with Earth, which has been translated into many languages, describes the building technology of this material. The physical properties and characteristic values are explained in a hands-on manner: with proper moisture protection, earth buildings are very durable, and in particular the combination with wood or straw allows a wide spectrum of design options. Numerous built examples demonstrate the range of applications for this fully recyclable material.

Prof. em. Gernot Minke, Universität Kassel, Germany.