Nowadays, we are concerned about the ecological footprint of our decisions in architectural projects design (or we should be), in that way, “natural” materials are in demand, materials that do not necessarily require industrialization, I am referring to wood, bamboo, earth, and stone.
Fibers such as cork, palm leaves, sorghum, wool or cotton could be added as insulation, and additives derived from agricultural processes, but these are not universal, and are subject to certain local construction traditions or techniques and the surrounding biodiversity that affect them.
Now, what is the advantage of natural materials? First, there is a nobility in them, wood and clay breathe, therefore, they are healthy, they age well, with dignity, they have a great biophilic power (people feel connected to the earth), and they can be used artisanally, with the hands and recquiere very basic tools, which makes them, in theory, very accessible.
They are, so to speak, primitive materials, since they have been used successfully for millennia, and no one doubts their effectiveness.
Today, we have very diverse options of materials, and the choice is not so obvious, everything depends on the needs of the project, the place where it is located, and the ability to use them correctly. For example, there are carbon footprint calculators to evaluate them, and topics of research are open, such as life cycles of materials, designs that allow their reuse, the ability to be recycled according to the available industry, incentives to use local economy and labor, and maintenance. In these areas, natural materials always have a factor that distinguishes them, and it is their renewable nature, and their low energy demand in their manufacture.
In terms of implementation, we already have more developed technologies available, laminated wood (from small pieces, the required pieces are built, where their performance can be optimized), prefabricated clay panels or blocks, and rectified stones (with very precise cuts), that is, we can leave behind the concept of very artisanal labor, and they can be introduced into typical construction processes.
