Project Plum Grove: The use of local materials in Hakka architecture of Mui Tsz Lam

Due to transportation and cost issues, traditional village buildings often made use of locally sourced materials, and earth was the most accessible and affordable building material for villagers. Thus, earth construction techniques can be seen everywhere in Mui Tsz Lam, e.g rammed earth, adobe bricks, poured earth, earth plaster, and earth mortar, etc, with the most signature one being the external and internal rammed earth walls of the Old House. In the said rammed earth walls, the project team found that there was a mix of materials in its construction, such as sticky rice, lime, grain, clay, brown sugar, straw etc.

Read the report to learn more.