Projects in Morocco, Ecuador and Iraq have taken the three first prizes in an international award recognising the use of earthen materials in landscape architecture.
The Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi announced the Terra Landscape Architectural Award winners on Monday, with CRAterre, the International Centre for Earth Construction.
The award forms part of Terra 2027 – World Congress on Earthen Architecture, which will be held in Al Ain – the first time the congress has taken place in the Arab region.
The competition attracted 73 submissions from 27 countries, with 20 projects shortlisted across three categories.
The Living Heritage Centre in the medina of Tiznit, Morocco, won the Dialogue with Existing Cultural Landscape category. Designed by Studio Salima Naji Architects, it was recognised for its integration into its heritage setting and its use of southern Morocco's earthen building traditions.
Second prize in that category went to the renovation and extension of Chateau de Beaucastel in Courthezon, France, by Studio Mediterranee and Studio Mumbai. Its extension was built largely from pise, or rammed earth, taken from beneath the site.
La Casa de las Rocas in Susudel, Ecuador, won the Integration into the Natural Site category. The adobe house, designed by Fausto Cardoso Martinez, Stephanie Suter, Jose Uzho and Manuel Campoverde, was praised for its use of local resources and its relationship with the surrounding landscape.
Kopila Valley School in Surkhet, Nepal, by Prabal Thapa Architects, received second prize in that category. Its group of buildings responds to the site's topography and is structured by rammed-earth walls.
The Healing Garden and Therapy Centre for Women and Children in Chamchamal, in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, won the Celebrating Local Resources and Know-how category. Designed by ZRS Architekten, it was recognised for adapting its design to the local environment and building culture.
The Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture in Gashora, designed by MASS and Arup, took second prize in the category, while the LMHS School and Dormitory in Zanskar, India, by Atelier TANKA and Architectes Sans Frontieres France, placed third.
Special mentions went to Pahariapara School in Bangladesh, the Joao Amazonas Socio-Environmental Centre in Brazil and the Jean Rostand School Lunchroom in France. The jury cited the projects' work with local communities and their collaborative approaches to design and construction.
The winners will present their work and join a discussion on the future of earthen architecture during Terra 2027 in April. The congress will focus on the management and conservation of earthen cultural landscapes.
