photographist

“When I was a child, my paediatrician was my idol, a very endearing woman. Some people have a lasting effect on you and remain as an example. In the Year 10, I did a placement (in a hospital) to find out what is to practise as a paediatrician in a hospital environment. There, I met a female paediatric surgeon who epitomized my ideal career path and I decided to become a paediatric surgeon as well. At the A-levels, I changed my mind; I thought about the subjects I wanted to continue with in my prospective career : mathematics, design and languages so I chose to become... an architect. Therefore, I carried out research into Madagascan culture, making comparisons with building cultures and urban planning between the North and the South which directed my work along environmental and climatic guidelines. As one goes along, I specialized in insular territories faced with natural hazards in the West Indian Ocean area, particularly territories with earthen architecture.

CRATerre Laboratory is involved in worldwide earthen architecture. Hence I managed to be specially trained in this field to focus on earthen housing where sanitary and natural hazards are strongly concentrated. Soil is a very interesting building material due to its availability, strength and thermal properties... Earthen architecture appeared long before the profession of architect and results from the population’s innate intelligence who understand their environment and learn efficiency of materials’ without our current scientific knowledge. Djenné mosque, M’zab in Kabylia or “blocks of flats in the Queen Saba’s Land” (Yemen) evince the durability of earthen architecture’s. But this ancient knowledge was quite discredited to spread concrete building and support its construction techniques. Nowadays, earthen architecture is slowly coming back into interest due to scientific research.”

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