For years, bahareque was one of the few construction options in Costa Rica. Inherited from our indigenous people, this ancestral technique supplied the housing needs of many of the inhabitants at a very low cost and with materials that were at hand. During colonial times and still at the beginning of the 20th century, bahareque and adobe were the most used techniques for the construction of houses.
Many of these houses are still standing, after many years, keeping within their walls a legacy of tradition, history and culture. For decades, bahareque houses have been seen as a mere museum piece, also being considered as architectural elements of a bygone era that can hardly be used again. This is largely due to earthquakes and because they are considered unsophisticated materials. However, mud construction has been on the rise in countries such as Argentina, Canada, the United States and some European countries where construction techniques have evolved an admirable level of refinement.
A clear example is the building of the famous tea packing company Ricola, based in Switzerland. This important company has built a large box, designed by the world-renowned architects Herzog and De Meuron and that integrates into its design the use of large prefabricated rammed earth panels. This technique, widely used in countries such as Armenia, consists of the use of a form of wood or other material that is then filled with clay, earth and lean, the latter being a type of calcite abundant in certain parts of Europe. This project shows that construction with earth can be taken to unimaginable levels with enough creativity, and that it is far from the typical tile roof houses that we are used to seeing in old photos and in some remnants that exist in cities like Barva de Heredia and Carthage.
In Costa Rica, construction with these ancient techniques has become popular little by little and largely due to the high costs of construction materials and the growing trend to use materials with less environmental impact. Our personal experience with mud has been on the one hand torturous but incredibly rewarding. The scarcity of information led us to carry out experiments that in many cases were unsuccessful, however, we have learned from our mistakes and we have happily refined the technique quite a bit. Many people ask us: Is bahareque safe in case of an earthquake? The answer is yes. The walls are placed on a supporting structure made of wood or bamboo, duly braced and reinforced.
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In this way, the walls fulfill a merely enclosing function, relegating the structural function to the supporting structure. In addition, bamboo slat is added as formwork to help the clay to support itself.
The construction in bahareque intends, beyond being a mere exercise of experimentation, to become a real low-cost constructive alternative with a minimum environmental impact. In times where building a house seems like a utopia for many, our goal is to create solutions that respond to the needs of our time. In a world where architects seek more media recognition, we want to create an inclusive, honest and hopeful architecture.
Hands in the mud.
Text by: Batsú Arquitectura
