Thanks Eye Candy for these pictures.
Architects REC Arquitectura have been playing around with traditional roofing materials and have transferred the straw, or plalapa, roofs of Mexico and used the material for walls. Very beautiful, innovative and contemporary use of a traditional building material. It’s also an interesting twist on using roofing materials on walls given the growing interest in green roofs and now living walls.
If only UK planning could understand this design approach. You do not have to create replicas of history to pay respect to historical built form.
If this design were to be translated into the UK landscape (using the traditional English thatch on a wall) it would never get past ‘Pete the Planners Rubber Stamping Desk’. It has a flat roof. Yawn yawn. But if you live outside the UK here are the architects contact details http://www.recarquitectura.com/home.html
