{"id":320465,"date":"2021-08-10T16:21:20","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T13:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/shift%e2%80%afaway-from-earthen-homes-is-environmentally-damaging\/"},"modified":"2021-08-10T16:21:20","modified_gmt":"2021-08-10T13:21:20","slug":"shift%e2%80%afaway-from-earthen-homes-is-environmentally-damaging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/shift%e2%80%afaway-from-earthen-homes-is-environmentally-damaging\/","title":{"rendered":"#Shift\u202faway from earthen homes is environmentally damaging"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Shift\u202faway from earthen homes is environmentally damaging<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"Shift\u202faway
\n A traditionally built earthen home. Credit: University of Leeds
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Attitudes to earthen homes need\u202fto change to prevent millions of them being replaced by buildings made from more environmentally-damaging materials, scientists warn.\u202f<\/p>\n


\n <\/section>\n

The researchers found that the usual rule-of-thumb estimate for the number of people worldwide living\u202fin earthen homes is way out of date, dropping from about one in three people to one in every ten or 12 people.\u202f <\/p>\n

Although the proportion of people living in earthen homes has dropped sharply, it is estimated that between 650 and 700 million still currently inhabit buildings constructed from natural materials such as rammed earth, adobe blocks, wattle and daub, and compressed earth blocks.\u202fThe scientists describe this group as a potential “emissions time-bomb” if they were to move\u202for\u202f”upgrade” to brick or concrete dwellings.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n

The study,\u202fby scientists at the University of Leeds and\u202fDelft University of Technology<\/a> in the Netherlands\u202fand reported in the scientific journal\u202fBuilding Research and Information,\u202fargues\u202fthat\u202fthe move away from earthen homes is producing a switch from traditional earth construction techniques\u202fwith a light environmental footprint to brick and concrete\u202fproduction, which generates substantially greater carbon emissions.\u202f <\/p>\n

The researchers\u202flooked at census data and national statistics from the 26 countries where more than three-quarters of the world’s population live.\u202f <\/p>\n

How to build safe, affordable\u2014and sustainable\u2014homes<\/b><\/p>\n

They found that as nations have become richer,\u202fa lower proportion of the population live in earthen buildings, believed to be partly as a result\u202fof population growth, the move to urban areas\u202ffrom rural communities\u202fand\u202fprevailing attitudes that\u202fhomes\u202fmade from modern materials\u202fare more desirable.\u202f <\/p>\n

Dr. Alastair Marsh, Research Fellow in the School of Civil Engineering at Leeds and lead author of the paper, said: “The big issue is, how can we ensure the whole world’s population is living in safe, affordable housing in line with UN Sustainable Development Goals as soon as possible and at the same time avoid\u202fproducing excessive carbon emissions from\u202fbuilding\u202fhouses that will lead to further climate change?\u202f <\/p>\n

“We can think of this as trying to have a balanced diet. Just like there’s fundamentally no “good foods” or “bad foods,” there’s no “good materials” or “bad materials”\u2014it’s more a question of getting the right balance, of not using too much material overall, and using materials that are app<\/a>ropriate for different regions. <\/p>\n

“Earth materials have excellent environmental performance but have rapidly been falling out of favor in many parts of the world in recent decades. To challenge those negative attitudes, we need to focus on making earthen homes that are healthy, stylish and that people can really want to live in.”\u202f <\/p>\n

Yask Kulshreshtha, Ph.D. researcher in the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geoscience<\/a>s at Delft University of Technology and co-author in the paper, said: “Earthen homes can be made using local soil that can be re-used multiple times. These houses are also energy efficient as they are known to control indoor temperature and humidity. <\/p>\n

“With several ecological advantages, earthen homes are good bet for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” <\/p>\n

There are health risks with some traditional earthen homes because insects and other organisms that transmit disease can\u202fenter through open\u202feaves,\u202fbut the risks can be reduced\u202fwith low-cost design measures.\u202fThe authors say there is a budding renaissance for modern earthen homes in\u202fsome\u202fricher countries.\u202f<\/p>\n\n

\n

Multi-story buildings made of wood sell for 9% more than other construction in Helsinki\n <\/p><\/div>\n

\n
\n More information:<\/strong>
\n Alastair T. M. Marsh et al, The state of earthen housing worldwide: how development affects attitudes and adoption, Building Research & Information<\/i> (2021). DOI: 10.1080\/09613218.2021.1953369<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n
\n Provided by
\n University of Leeds
\n
\n <\/svg><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Citation<\/strong>:
\n Shift\u202faway from earthen homes is environmentally damaging (2021, August 10)
\n retrieved 10 August 2021
\n from https:\/\/phys.org\/news<\/a>\/2021-08-shiftaway-earthen-homes-environmentally.html<\/p>\n

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
\n part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n