First Earth Documentary

Cob is a traditional material for building in many parts of the world, and there has been huge enthusiasm for this material in ecological circles, although we'd like to propose that has more to do with a consumerist mentality, today, than actual good design: clay & straw being such important materials for creating soil, which is our most urgent task nowadays, whilst we have, usually, little or no actual real need for yet more buildings.

Obvioustly where earth buildings ARE traditional, they are also probably the lowest-energy (most sustainable) option in that region, although this could have changed over the centuries (eg. if there is now plentiful rubbish that can be used for building materials).

There are far more buildings than people who need them in the western world, and design ingenuity put to use in how to retro-fit those could be much better design than letting them rot whilst we take up more space to build 'the house of our dreams')

So designing in modern times does not necessarily mean going back to 'traditional ways'. It is about adapting in the most appropriate, optimal way to actual solve the most imperative social problems we are faced with. And lack of buildings is way down the list in the modern (although lack of affordable housing certainly is: don't confuse the two).