Protection and Sustainable Development of Traditional Earthen Architecture

Dear Colleagues,

Throughout history, earth has been one of the most widely used materials in traditional construction, both for vernacular and monumental architecture. This is evidenced by the multiple varieties of earthen architecture found in many countries worldwide, where it continues to provide shelter to a third of the world’s population. This abundant and inexpensive low-energy embodied material, which can be found locally almost anywhere in the world and generates no waste at the end of its life cycle, is therefore highly sustainable. Earthen built heritage should therefore be protected for its inherent values as green architecture and as a sign of identity of our common past, as well as for being a clear example of sustainability for future architecture. However, this earthen architecture is exposed to natural threats (floods, landslides, earthquakes, wind, climate change, etc.), social risks (abandonment, social discredit, demographic pressure, etc.), and anthropic dangers (human error, negligence, lack of protection and maintenance, etc.). In turn, transformation dynamics such as replacement or use of incompatible techniques and materials have given rise to a need for scientific examination and the implementation of conservation, intervention, and restoration strategies to highlight and take into consideration the inherent sustainability of this architecture. This Special Issue will provide an opportunity for a comprehensive examination of the protection and conservation of this earthen vernacular and monumental architectural heritage, and of the sustainable development linked to this protection.

Prof. Dr. Camilla Mileto
Prof. Dr. Fernando Vegas López-Manzanares
Guest Editors

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