Grahame Hunter
Senior Earth Architect, Turquoise Mountain, The Built Environment
Before coming to Afghanistan, I had a background in earth architecture. My main interest has been constructing buildings that are environmentally sound. Afghanistan has a long tradition of building in earth and we want to preserve this. Traditions can only survive if you keep building in the vernacular. That said, it’s no good simply repeating what has been built in the past. The failure of old earth buildings to meet modern aspirations is the reason people have opted for concrete structures. But concrete is not the way forward for Afghanistan. None of the materials for concrete buildings are found in the country. They are costly to manufacture, both in financial and environmental terms, as well as being hard to maintain.
Our challenge is to come up with ways in which traditional materials and designs can meet modern expectations. Earth houses must be warm, waterproof, comfortable and easy to repair. Our innovations within Afghanistan’s architectural vernacular have achieved this. The turmoil of the past has meant things need to be rebuilt, but this way, the rebuilding can do service to Afghanistan’s cultural pride and lead the way in sustainable construction.
