Introduction to Natural building with MES College, Kozhikode

This one-day learning programme was conducted with architecture students from MES College, beginning with a guided walk through the Curca Khazan wetlands and concluding with hands-on material work at the Batim Mud House.

The day began at the old Curca bridge, where students observed historic laterite arches, an entry point into understanding Goa’s robust and climate-responsive engineering traditions. From there, students walked through the khazan landscape, learning how bunds, sluice gates, canals, tides, and mudflats work together as an integrated system to manage water, enable agriculture, and support biodiversity in saline conditions.

Being on site made these systems tangible. Alongside mangroves, birds, grasses, and vegetable patches, students also witnessed the vulnerabilities of the khazan today - waste dumping, damaged bunds, and the gradual loss of traditional knowledge - highlighting the urgent need for care, repair, and community stewardship.

In the second half of the day, learning shifted from landscape to material practice at the Batim Mud House. Students explored soils sieved from laterite rock, understood the role of lime and cow dung in strengthening natural plasters, and learned the basics of mud–cow dung plaster application.

They also experimented with making earth blocks, gaining firsthand experience of the labour, rhythm, and technique involved in shaping space with natural materials.
Together, the walk and the making session helped students understand how traditional ecological systems and material practices can be meaningfully adapted today to build in more environmentally sensitive ways.