Architecture for Humanity . Cameron Sinclair

Architecture for Humanity 

naturally built by hand (1)

Lake Titicaca, Perú

The lives of the Aymara or Uros Indians who live at 4.000 m above sea level revolve around the totora reeds, wich provides them with land, homes, transportation and food. In the shallow areas of the lake they mound reed and earth on top of existing reeds to form inmense floating islands. The roots of the reeds keeps the islands from drafting. the natives navigate the lakes on canoes made from tapered boundles of reeds that are bound toguether with grass ropes and the reeds serve as walls and floors as well.

Built by Hand
Bill Steen, Athenea Steen & Eiko Komatsu

WAT PA MAHA CHEDI KAEW

In 1984, a group of monks in Thailand began an epic game of 100 bottles of beer on the wall. Amazingly, their game continued until there were literally 100s of bottles on the wall, totaling over 1.5 million, and forming the exterior of one of the world's most unique temple complexes.

Almost three decades ago, one monk and his acolytes had grown tired of the mounting litter in the Sisaket area. To promote recycling and cleaning the landscape, the monks encouraged everyone in the area to bring them recycled beer bottles to create a temple complex.

Formed mostly out of green Heineken and brown Chang (the local favorite) beer bottles, the monks began with a temple, and later formed a crematorium, water towers, sleeping quarters and even toilets. Pushed into the concrete of the walls, every detail of the buildings inside and out are formed from the recycled bottles. Aside from whole bottles, the monks also incorporated bottle caps to create mosaics and Buddhist designs inside of the temple.

Today, the monks have no plans to stop building. The more bottles brought to them, the more structures they will build, adding layer upon layer to the Temple of a Million Bottles.