IETT organized an open lecture with Prof. Dr. Khalid Alskait, from the College of Architecture and Planning at King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
He brought to the audience the example of Banban city in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia which was built with natural materials. These types of constructions, such as compacted sand, among others, have a lifespan that goes 600-700 years compared to concrete which goes 60-70 years and then requires intervention. Another example given was the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain over 1000 years old, built with natural materials.
In the Arabian Peninsula, the solution found by the professor in the absence of stone, was interesting. Instead of taking the stone and sculpting it to give shape to it, the stone is built in special rectangular molds by mixing sand with a small percentage of water and lime. This method of stone construction is shorter than carving it. In this way a house is built isolated from noise, impenetrable and very strong.
The lecture by prof. Khalid showed us a culture on its own and brought to attention our cultural heritage and old objects that we have inherited these days, built by our ancestors with natural building materials. This meeting paved the way for a collaboration with King Saud University for a workshop with students of architecture, engineering, etc.
