Ethos: Back to Earth

Back to earth
– Why we
build with earth

It begins with a simple thought: the earth on which we stand can become the house in which we live. No material embodies the connection between man and nature as directly, as sensually, as naturally as earth. It lies beneath our feet, is available everywhere – and yet we overlook it. In a world full of technical solutions, it seems almost too simple.

But this is precisely where its power lies.

Earth is more than just a building material. It is a carrier of culture, the memory of the earth, shaped by time. Cities dating back thousands of years were built from earth and are still standing today. And yet this ancient knowledge has been virtually suppressed in our industrialized building world. It was Martin Rauch who picked up this thread again – not nostalgically, but with a view to the future. He has rethought earth: as a building material of the modern age, as a response to the ecological crisis, as a way of building with the earth again instead of against it.

Martin Rauch – Craftsmanship, research, architecture

Martin Rauch has been working with earth for over 35 years. As a craftsman, as an artist, as a researcher and building pioneer. His vision: to establish earth as a serious building material in the contemporary architectural context. To this end, he has developed techniques, gathered knowledge, built, tested, documented – and laid the foundations for what is possible today.

Lehm Ton Erde Baukunst GmbH is the result of this work. We do not see ourselves as a traditional construction company, but as a building culture company. We do not think of building materials in isolation, but in the context of landscape, society and the future. Our projects combine architectural quality with ecological integrity. And our standards are high: beauty must not be a contradiction to sustainability – on the contrary.

Earth as an attitude

Building with earth is an attitude. It means respecting cycles. It means not consuming materials, but using them – again and again. It means adapting to the site instead of dominating it. And it means taking responsibility – for what we leave behind.

Because earth is not only reusable. It is recyclable. No waste, no toxins, no disposal. When an earthen house has reached the end of its life, it can become earth again. What has been built can pass away without leaving any traces – except good ones.

Preserving knowledge. Changing the way we build.

With the ERDEN prefabrication system developed by us, we have found a way to combine clay with industrial requirements – without depriving it of its properties. We build faster, more precisely, more cost-effectively – and stay entirely with the material.

But for us, this is just the beginning. Earth building does not have to remain a special case. It can – and should – become the norm. This requires education, research, standards and, above all, people who are prepared to rethink.

Because if we are serious about what we often say – that the future must be sustainable – then the answer has long been there. It lies beneath us. It is old, silent, reliable. And ready to be rediscovered.