Earth Building Workshop

Since 2014, the “One University One Village” team has worked with Kunming University of Science and Technology to improve the construction techniques and seismic performance of earth farmhouses in rural southwest China. To sustain research and experimentation for rural construction over the long term, to carry out artisan training programmes, and to showcase the results of new rammed-earth building technology, the team built the Earth Building Workshop (Yunnan Rural Revitalization Research and Development Center) on the KUST campus.

The design takes full account of Kunming’s climate. A semi-outdoor multi-purpose space with top-lighting provides a flexible, comfortable communal area suited to different training and academic activities. The excellent thermal-mass properties of rammed earth are combined with passive design features — natural daylight, natural ventilation, and moderate shading — to ensure high indoor environmental quality and very low operating energy use. The building uses no mechanical cooling or heating equipment.

Project Information