Building with What We Have

This article is from the archive of Roca Gallery. It was first published in April, 2025.

Nowadays, when we talk about sustainable architecture, we often think of high-tech materials, green certifications, and costly construction systems. However, it’s difficult to talk about sustainability if only a few can afford it.

I believe that architecture must respond to the context and make the most of the available resources. From the beginning, at Mínimo Común we have faced challenges that pushed us to rethink the way we build—transforming processes and seeking out alternative solutions.

Our story began with a project in which the main challenge was to reuse as much material as possible from the demolition of a house. Rather than seeing the debris as waste, we chose to make use of every possible element. What initially seemed like a limitation became an opportunity to experiment with new ways of building, and it left us with a key lesson: every project is shaped by the successes and mistakes we either discard or carry with us along the way.

Since then, our work has been a continuous process of exploration. We came to understand that architecture should not rely on specific materials but on the ingenuity with which they are used. What matters is not what you use but how you use it.

When the site dictates the solution...

One of the projects that marked our search for new strategies is located 350 kilometers from the capital, in an area where access to construction materials was a challenge. Transporting materials from the city was unfeasible, which forced us to focus on what we had around us: the land.

We made our own bricks using local soil, reducing costs and eliminating the need for transportation. With these bricks, we built the offices. At the same time, we considered how to meet one of the users' needs: the project had to blend into the landscape while also ensuring privacy.

To address this, we designed an envelope using the same bricks, but this time without cement. This allowed the bricks to dissolve naturally with the action of water, returning the material to the earth and leaving only the negative imprint of the walls. What began as a construction solution evolved into both a climatic and spatial strategy: the envelope provided protection from the sun, created shade, and allowed visual connection with the landscape—without sacrificing shelter.

This was our first exploration into building with earth, confirming that we must transform how we build to achieve more equitable and higher-quality construction.

Thinking about the system, not the material...

Our quest to rethink architecture goes beyond the choice of materials, it’s about how they work together. We believe the key lies in designing efficient construction strategies without relying on expensive technologies.

A clear example was the passive cooling system we implemented in the same project. We designed a mechanism to collect rainwater from the roof and channel it into a central pool. From there, a pump returned the water to the top of the roof, where it would fall again, cooling the metal sheets and lowering the interior temperature. This reduced the need for air conditioning and created a sense of comfort as users watched the water cascading into the central pool.

This solution shows that improving thermal comfort does not require costly materials or complex systems. It’s enough to understand the environment, take advantage of its characteristics, and use resources wisely.

Learning along the way...

In our practice, we see architecture as a continuous learning process. We understand that there is no single way of doing things and that each project offers an opportunity to question and improve what we already know.

After working with earth bricks, we began to explore how to accelerate construction by learning from traditional earth-building techniques. Although brick construction was somewhat faster than conventional methods, it still required significant execution time, which directly impacts cost.

What we did was to think of another technique. By making the soil more liquid and pouring it into formworks, we were able to speed up the building process significantly.

The biggest challenge we face is to bring architecture closer to more people, to break the notion that it’s only accessible to a few. We believe the path forward lies in transforming construction techniques and exploring new ways of building with the resources already at hand. In the end, building is not just about putting up walls—it’s about rethinking how we inhabit the world.

Main image: Nordeste Curuguaty Offices, Paraguay, 2021, Mínimo Común Arquitectura. Photo © Daniel Ojeda