Concave & Convex for Aitchi Triennale, Japan 

Created for the Aichi Triennale in Japan, this rammed earth installation explored circularity, temporality and the relationship between architecture and the natural lifecycle of materials.

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Constructed on site using earth sourced less than 500 metres from the installation location, the project challenged conventional approaches to stabilised rammed earth construction. Rather than relying heavily on cement or lime stabilisation, the installation was designed with minimal intervention so that the material could eventually return safely to the ground following the exhibition.

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A small amount of lime was used only at vulnerable corner conditions to improve durability where chipping was most likely to occur, while the remainder of the structure remained almost entirely raw earth. This approach allowed the installation to retain the tactile and living qualities of the material while supporting the project’s wider environmental and conceptual intentions.

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Built over the course of just over a week with the support of local student volunteers and the Aichi learning team, the sculptural earth form functioned as public seating throughout the Triennale.

 

Over time, plants began naturally emerging from the structure, reinforcing the idea of earth as a living material capable of transformation, growth and return.

At the conclusion of the exhibition, the installation was dismantled and returned back to the ground from which it came.

 

The project became not only an exploration of material sustainability, but also a reflection on impermanence, ecology and humanity’s connection to the earth.

Blending research, craftsmanship and spatial experience, the installation positioned rammed earth not simply as an alternative building material, but as a medium capable of expressing deeper ideas around place, time and regeneration.