Conserving Mud: Learning from Local Practices

Please join us for lunch and conversation with visiting scholars and practitioners.

Earth, mud, or adobe is amongst the most prolific building materials in use from ancient times. However, it is also most vulnerable to the elements especially due to climate change, threatening its continued use in living traditions. While several modern materials, polymers, and consolidates have been in use to make it resilient, their environmental impact is becoming a concern. This presentation examines traditional and modern additives used in local practices in earthen construction for their efficacy in its conservation. 

Divay Gupta is a visiting Fullbright scholar in the Department of Historic Preservation. He is a conservation architect and headed the Architectural Heritage Division of INTACH, New Delhi until March 2023. An alum of ICCROM, University of Birmingham & School of Planning & Architecture, he has been striving to help better manage and conserve the cultural resources in his country for more than 25 years. He has worked on projects in the UK, USA, India, Afghanistan, Nepal, and Cambodia and has participated in joint UNESCO & ICOMOS missions to World Heritage sites as a conservation expert.

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