Humankind has always used natural plant-based materials for buildings, from the simplest branch and straw hut of ancient dwelling to some of the world’s most iconic buildings such as the Todaiji or Great Eastern Temple which was built in the early eighth century AD in Japan’s Nara province and houses the world’s largest bronze statue of Buddha and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In recent years, concern about the planet have led to the new ideas about how the built environment looks and feels and with a leap back to the past, natural plant-based construction and cladding is once again all the fashion (well in some parts of the world anyway).

There has been a trend for reverting to a greener style of building, to improve (mainly) the aesthetics of the built environment as well as the reduction of the heat sink in cities and improve the environment in urban centres. Although we are in the early part of this movement, the trend for the use of new materials and environmentally friendly buildings and landscapes is growing.

 

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