Brazil: The Merging of Two Building Cultures

Earthen architecture and construction in Brazil is a common thread running through much of the country's post-colonization history. Its autochthonous structures answered the demands of a nomadic tradition, which explains their more ephemeral, less permanent, aspect. With Portuguese colonization, however, the building traditions of Iberian culture merged with these native customs, giving rise to a very particular style of architecture that was also shaped by the materials available and the prevailing climatic conditions.

The bandeirista house is an authentically Brazilian brand of earthen architecture. Built from the 17th century onward, these houses, together with various places of worship, represent an important heritage that tells us a lot about how people lived and built at the time. The main reason for building with earth was the lack of limestone in certain regions—a scarcity frequently coupled with an abundance of clayey soil.

The technique predominantly used for bandeirista houses was taipa de pilão, which entailed building structural walls from compacted earth pressed into wooden molds. Other expressions of earthen architecture appeared throughout the country in the century that followed.

A less costly option for civilian construction was taipa de mão (or pau-a-pique), in which wood does the load-bearing, while the earth serves as infill. This style of building was—and still is—used for the construction of both rural and urban residences.

The use of earth as a building material declined throughout the twentieth century. The past thirty years, however, have seen these ancient construction techniques make a comeback and become ever more widespread.