Back to earth

"Until 1986, the farmhouse al-'Udhaibat was a tumbledown, neglected mud-brick ruin, no different from many other such old buildings which have survived in Saudi Arabia. It was unmaintained and-- as all buildings of sun-dried mud will, if left-- was quietly sliding into oblivion. The restoration of this farmhouse developed into a complex project, with important implications for rural housing and the place of traditional materials in modern building. Al-'Udhaibat has become a source of inspiration for the new generation of Saudi architects."