School ofArchitecture

Drawing on more than 25 years of international architectural experience, Delia’s seminar invited a fresh look at rammed earth, adobe, cob, thatch and hempcrete. These earth- and plant-based approaches open a discussion about how we might build with fewer resource demands, greater attention to place and a longer view of a building’s useful life.

The opportunity reaches beyond the choice of a material. Working with local resources and building knowledge invites us to reconsider how a building is made, maintained and eventually taken apart. Repair, reuse and the recovery of materials can become design priorities from the outset, bringing circular thinking into the everyday decisions of architecture.

Traditional methods also offer a productive meeting point between craft and contemporary research. Their potential for lower-impact construction, comfort and affordability deserves careful investigation rather than blanket claims. Climate, sourcing, workmanship and detailing all matter; each approach needs to be understood and tested for its particular setting.

For the School, this is an invitation to connect material experimentation with questions of community and environmental responsibility. It asks future architects to see inherited knowledge as a resource for innovation: a starting point for buildings that can be cared for, adapted and valued over time. Looking back can help us ask better questions about what comes next.