Building generating low carbon emissions: Clearer than… mud

“Not many architects believe that climate change is something they should think about, but we are trying to change that,” says Rosie Paul, co-founder of the architecture studio Masons Inkbased in Bangalore, India.

“For us, it is obvious that climate change directly affects the shelter in which you are going to live, and we must start building resistant structures.”

Paul and his best friend of sixteen years, Sridevi Changali, preserve the Indian tradition of building with mud, but also spread information about the material's sustainable properties, which make it ideal for combating the modern problem of high-emission construction. carbon.

The magic of mud

The breathable nature of clay allows moisture to enter the home, improving indoor air quality and preventing the buildup of moisture and mold that cement traps and incubates.

Mud walls have a high thermal mass, meaning they slowly absorb heat from solar radiation and store it, releasing it at night at lower temperatures. This reduces the need for air conditioners, which consume large amounts of electricity and contain refrigerants that are powerful emitters of greenhouse gases.

Since mud is easy to obtain, it eliminates much of the transportation costs and ecological footprint. Sridevi notes that “the manufacturing and processing of the blocks is done by the communities, so it is being given back to local livelihoods rather than to large manufacturing plants and large companies.”

Could mud be the solution? Architects like Rosie and Sri are bringing back raw earth construction to build sustainable structures that can withstand extreme weather events like flash floods and intense heat.

Tackling obstacles in the sector

At the same time, these professionals advocate for more women to complete their architectural studies and train more colleagues in construction-site trades, such as stone masonry.

“Let's hire more women in our architecture firms. Let's have more women on construction sites. Let's examine their safety aspects. The idea is to question the obstacles and get more people to fight them with us.”

“I think as soon as you start talking about gender issues, it automatically becomes a your Against me” says Rosie. “And it's not like that. “We are just saying that there are problems in the sector, and that we need support to change that.”

Thomas Payyapilli's mud house was built with the lowest possible cost and the least environmental impact.

Less waste, more meaning

One of his first supporters was his client Thomas Payyapilli, whose adobe house Masons Ink designed with hardly any waste.

According to him, the concept had two main requirements: the lowest possible cost and the lowest possible environmental impact. Today, his farm is certified organic and grows aromatic and medicinal plants.

Another client, Sindhoor Pangal, sees her mud house as the way out of an unfulfilling urban existence. “I started out in the corporate world, like a lot of people, and I think after a while I became disillusioned with that kind of life,” she explains. A planned move to the countryside took a tragic turn with the sudden loss of her husband, Uttam.

“When I spoke with Masons Ink, for me it was important that they had met my husband. They understood my journey. They understood where she was coming from. And somehow, that translated into the design.” Masons Ink and Sindhoor worked with an all-female team of masons to create their house, which she says “is a dedication to my husband and the life I had with him.”

For Rosie and Sridevi, when it comes to the climate crisis, the big changes can come from all of us.

“For women: It doesn't matter where you are or what your profession is or if you are at home, the idea is that everyone does their part. Keep going. And I would love to see more women architects and more women working on construction sites. More “women everywhere. The future is feminine.”