People in rural China have lived in earthen homes for thousands of years. The country’s recent economic boom and rapid urbanisation, however, has led to a shift away from traditional construction techniques in favour of concrete and brick design. Earthen homes have become a symbol of rural poverty and earthen building expertise in these communities is slowly being lost.
Building with EARTH is a partnership project co-ordinated by Wu Zhi Qiao (Bridge to China) Charitable Foundation (WZQCF), which promotes traditional earthen construction techniques in poor rural communities as a less expensive, more environmentally sustainable and more earthquake-resistant alternative to current building methods.
The project began in 2011 in Macha Village, Gansu Province, with the construction of a Village Centre and 32 prototype houses. The project trains local craftspeople in modified earthen construction techniques, allowing them to earn money by building new homes in surrounding villages. Since then, the model has transferred to 23 different regions across 17 provinces. Around 655 villagers are already living in new earthen homes and the project aims to have housed 1,636 people by the end of 2020. Building with EARTH is not only improving quality of life for hundreds of villagers, it is also creating economic resilience in communities that have suffered from rural-urban migration. No longer a symbol of poverty, earthen homes are becoming part of the solution.
