The magazine "EcologiK et Architectures" à vivre associates itself to CRATerre, the National High School of Architecture of Grenoble and the UNESCO Chair "Earthen Architecture", to call for solidarity to defend the right of building with raw earth. The use of this material combines culture with communal solidarity, ecology and economy; the pillars of sustainable development. The manifesto claims the universal value of earthen architecture as both World Heritage and a contemporary solution, essential for an eco-responsible future.

For eleven millennia, humanity demonstrated an amazing ability to build with raw earth, from simple residences to palaces and even entire cities. Today, in highly diverse contexts and areas, this building material is still the most widely used since more than a third of the world's population lives in habitats built with rammed earth, adobe blocks, wattle and daub, cob or compressed blocks. Modest or monumental, these architectures are present in 190 countries. They reflect a quality of everyday life and technical innovations that closely combine knowledge and creativity, art and virtuosity.

While these buildings are regularly discovered or rediscovered by professionals and the general public, some people reject them; destroy them, even forbid them in the name of new construction standards for housing of today and tomorrow. But there are many contemporary architectural achievements built with earth, usually built through communal participation, which are exemplary, innovative and beautiful. Although they respond completely to what we want for the present and future generations, they are now often neglected, devalued or ignored.

We therefore affirm that in light of critical issues related to preservation of the natural environment and cultural diversity, and the fight against poverty, the use of earth as a building material cannot be ignored and is irreplaceable. We claim the right to build with earth because every human being has the right to housing which is suitable to his needs and resources. The habitat and urban development of tomorrow must answer this aspiration in a sustainable way.

Building with earth, is to rethink both globally and locally about using the resources of our planet by overcoming the challenge of combining the earth, water and sun with technology, culture, social aspects, economy and environment.

Building with earth, is to defend the right to implement a natural building material which is environmentally friendly, abundant, easily available and accessible to the maximum number of people so as to enable the poorest to build their home “with what they have under their feet”.

Building with earth, is to promote local resources, both human and natural, improve living conditions, enhance cultural diversity and maintain social support systems for construction and maintenance of the built environment.

Building with earth, is to use a ”natural concrete” which offers a real ecological and economic alternative to materials and production processes which are harmful to the environment.

Building with earth, is to upgrade, adapt and transform more than 11,000 years of knowledge and know-how and to associate this timeless material to innovative architecture.

Building with earth, is to recognize the cultural value of the vernacular habitat, to oppose their destruction and encourage rehabilitation of buildings while respecting the material and the architectural expression.

Building with earth, is to further develop the art of building and shaping complex forms in a holistic way by combining architecture, aesthetics and decoration.

Building with earth, is to develop innovation so as to optimize the material, to simplify construction processes and to produce new architectures.

By launching “Inhabiting the Earth, Manifesto for the right to building with raw earth”, we bet on innovation to meet the major challenge of an eco-responsible architecture for countries all over the world.