Ecological Systems of Care: The Nubian Homes of Gharb Aswan

Abstract

With the rise of sustainable building and the growing desire to “build green” comes a need to understand the centuries-old practice of building with earth. For generations, earthen buildings have been integral to communities around the world, and it is these building practices that show the way for the innovative sustainable technologies we use today. During my travels in Egypt, while studying mud-brick Nubian homes in Gharb Aswan I encountered a unique way of combining ecological building with systems of care and resilience rooted in tradition and generations of craft. As building with earth is becoming popular within the discipline of architecture, can we learn to better understand and integrate care into our built environment in ways that are efficient, resourceful, and ecological?