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Auroville: The Latest Architecture and News

Pioneering the Revival of Earth Architecture: Egypt, France, and India

Archaeological endeavors aimed at exploring the civilizations of the past have revealed a commonality across the world. A form of architecture developed independently on every continent. Evidence shows that Neolithic communities used fertile soils and alluvial clay to construct humble abodes, creating humankind’s first durable and solid building material. Earth architecture was born at a very early age in human history. The techniques soon suffered a gradual decline as lifestyles changed, cities grew, and industrialized materials flourished. Does earth architecture have a place in the 21st-century world?

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Humanscapes Habitat Urban Living / Auroville Design Consultant

Humanscapes Habitat Urban Living / Auroville Design Consultant - Residential, Garden, Stairs, FacadeHumanscapes Habitat Urban Living / Auroville Design Consultant - Residential, Kitchen, Beam, Door, Facade, ColumnHumanscapes Habitat Urban Living / Auroville Design Consultant - Residential, Facade, Beam, Column, ArchHumanscapes Habitat Urban Living / Auroville Design Consultant - Residential, Garden, Facade, StairsHumanscapes Habitat Urban Living / Auroville Design Consultant - More Images+ 20

The Unreliable Utopia of Auroville’s Architecture

Near Pondicherry in Southern Indian is Auroville, an experimental township devoted to the teachings of mystic philosopher Sri Aurobindo. The 20 square kilometer site was founded in 1968 by Aurobindo’s spiritual collaborator, Mirra Alfassa. Otherwise known as “The Mother,” she saw Auroville as a place “where men of all countries would be at home”.

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APA Awards: James Ewing's Matrimandir Photograph Places First for Architecture

Brooklyn based architectural photographer James Ewing has placed first in the American Photographic ArtistsAPA Awards for architecture. The image, as Ewing describes, “was created to describe the verdant landscape that surrounds the Matrimandir and the community of Auroville.”

“The land was in an advanced state of desertification when the Auroville project was started in the 1960s. Heavy erosion had removed most of the topsoil and left a barren scorched earth. Through many years of careful engineering and land management Auroville has created a lush, wooded, garden city. I sought out an elevated vantage point that allowed me to present the building in context with its landscape. The building without the landscape would only be half of the story. The cyclists in the foreground show scale and provide a contrast between the familiar low-fi technology of the bicycles and the fantastic sci-fi form of the Matrimandir itself.”