The French language book, Bâtir en Terre, by Romain Anger and Laetitia Fontaine was published as part of the exhibition Ma Terre Première Pour Construire Demain (Earth Today for Construction Tomorrow). The book presents the unique heritage of earth construction, from the mythical Shibam in Yemen The “Manhattan of the desert to the strange group of Hakka houses in China. The book includes projects from Europe and documents the achievements of contemporary architects, fascinated by the qualities of the material. The book offers simple and fun experiments to understand physio-chemical properties of earth from which could arise ways to develop alternatives to industrial materials like cement. [ Preview the book here ]