Fibra

Contemporary architecture with plant fibers

Plants are remarkable organisms. They are the material basis of our lives and our culture, and are both beautiful and useful at the same time. They are local resources that keep growing, store carbon dioxide, and are completely biologically degradable. Building with plant fibres not only means that there is a perfect ecological balance, but also has positive social, economic, and cultural effects. Local know-how is preserved and further developed, jobs are created locally, and traditional ways of building are sourced and revitalised.

Architecture with plant fibres has high sensual and haptic qualities, and in terms of the selection criteria of the FIBRA Award also high aesthetic Quality. The FIBRA Award is given by amàco, the research and experimental centre for natural building materials in Villefontaine in France, and Dominique Gauzin-Müller. The international jury chaired by Anna Heringer, has selected 50 buildings where various materials have been used – bamboo, straw, reeds, willow, rattan palm, hemp, palm leaves, tree bark, and grasses. The uses of plant fibres include bearing and bridging structures, insulation, filtering, and dividing, veneers, and outfitting. The buildings presented here with pictures, texts, models, and prototypes are from 23 different countries and all continents. They are dwellings, schools, bridges, a construction yard and a wine cellar that together show the diversity of possible uses and the ecological, architectural, and aesthetic qualities of plant fibres in contemporary architecture. Building with plant fibres is innovative because it encourages us to think how we will want to build and to live in the future.

Production: Agence MUSEO und amàco
Curator: Dominique Gauzin-Müller
Scientific advisory board: Laetitia Fontaine, amàco, Prof. Guillaume Habert, ETH Zürich