Earth, water, light and space: architectural projects in harmony with the elements
Architecture begins with an understanding of materials and where they come from. An increasing number of architects are using natural, renewable materials such as clay, wood or natural stone, incorporating light, air, water and vegetation. The result is buildings that function sustainably. Read how!
Earth: a traditional material with future potential
Clay is experiencing a renaissance. At the Imagine Montessori School near Valencia, Arturo Sanz, Carmel Gradolí and Fran López are using fired clay to create load-bearing walls, vaults and floors. The result is a harmonious, thermally balanced learning environment. Francis Kéré also relies on clay's qualities for the Lycée Schorge in Burkina Faso: when combined with local eucalyptus wood, the result is a building that is deeply rooted in its region, both materially and culturally. The clay bricks characterise the building's appearance and ensure a balanced indoor climate thanks to their high storage mass. The ensemble is complemented by a ventilated roof that promotes natural air circulation.
Water - a versatile element
As a variable element, we encounter water in architecture as an energy source, an atmospheric design feature, or a public space. The Water House 2.0 in Taiwan, developed by Water-Filled Glass in collaboration with Feng Chia University, features double-skin windows through which water circulates. Sunlight is absorbed and used for heating or cooling via a closed system — an innovative approach to thermal efficiency in building operation. In Copenhagen, the Kalvebod Waves project highlights the social aspect of water. Designed by Klar and JDS/Julien De Smedt Architects, the wooden walkways, bridges and platforms transform the harbour basin into a moving landscape and an urban meeting place, making it possible to experience the water as an active part of the urban space.
Light – the immaterial building material
"Architecture is the magnificent play of buildings assembled under the light," wrote Le Corbusier¹. This understanding is succinctly summed up by the Casa de Vidro (1951) by architect Lina Bo Bardi in São Paulo. Raised above dense, rainforest-like vegetation, the building appears to be floating. Light penetrates the house from all sides, shaping the space through varying degrees of brightness, reflection, and transparency.
In Taipei, the award-winning Cloister of Green Light by CYS.ASDO combines light and trees to create a harmonious whole. Rather than cutting down the existing trees, a delicate cloister winds around the greenery. Semi-mirrored aluminium panels on the façades reflect the leaves, sky, and sunlight, thus transforming the complex into a backdrop of ever-changing light.
Space - architecture in dialog with nature
Modern architecture designs space not as a rigid shell, but as a flexible structure in dialog with its surroundings. Permeable façades, green roofs and natural ventilation systems create open spaces that adapt to the changing conditions of light, air and seasons.
Daegu Anchor Facility, iF DESIGN AWARD 2024 winner
The award-winning Daegu Anchor Facility cultural centre and studio building in South Korea preserves the existing structure while creating an open façade with a new permeable aluminium shell. This creates spaces that promote community, while also establishing a vibrant connection to the outside space. Similarly, the House in a Garden by Gianni Botsford Architects in London combines interior space and landscape in a subtle way: largely inserted underground into the garden, the residential building preserves nature and opens up the space with generous lines of sight into the greenery. Meanwhile, the striking copper roof adds a characteristic design accent.
Architecture that considers earth, water, light and space to be integral elements not only creates sustainable buildings, but also forms sensual living spaces that are in harmony with their surroundings, as demonstrated by these examples.