Finding innovative solutions to everyday challenges has always been part of design and architecture.
For millennia, humans used creative ways to build their dwellings and make them functionally more comfortable.
In the desert, we built homes with air wells and pools of water at the bottom to help draw in air and cool down our homes.
Similarly, the Greeks and Romans used courtyards with fountains to cool the interior of their homes.
In Africa and some oceanic tribes, they discovered that plants provided them with an abundant, lightweight and resilient building material that suited their nomadic lifestyle while still providing protection from the elements.
These grass structures could be very complex and sturdy, and when well maintained, last for many years.
Because of the grass construction, these homes were also normally very well insulated.
Lately, these types of building styles have had a resurgence as more eco-friendly building materials are being researched.
One such surprising building material that is emerging is lantana (lantana camara).
This plant is well known in our country and despised by most farmers.
The berries are harmful to cattle, and the bramblelike growth pattern can create impenetrable barriers around waterways, preventing wildlife from getting to the water.
However, lantana can be used to weave incredible furniture and organic curved structures, making it a very flexible versatile building material.
In India, where lantana has also become an aggressive invasive plant, the local Nilgiri tribes used traditional weaving techniques with architectural design to create an eco-retreat where they teach their indigenous skills and techniques to those who are interested.
Lantana is incredibly flexible and, when dry, can become very strong and sturdy.
This flexibility allows for really organic and natural lines in architecture allowing for greater innovation and more creative designs.
As the ecological impact of concrete and other modern building materials is becoming an ever increasing problem, it is becoming imperative for us to look into alternative ways of building and living.
Using sustainable resources and innovation and looking at what we traditionally considered waste products can essentially take us leaps into the future.
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