Lehmbau

From Forest to Home

Lehmbau, clay- and- fiber construction, is an age-old material that fits today’s needs: hyperlocal sourcing, climate friendliness, healthy indoor climates, and support for biodiversity.

As a biogenic assembly, it locks carbon in natural fibers such as wood chips, hemp, and straw. Clay encases and preserves these fibers, regulates moisture, and contributes to fire- resistant structures. The result is a climate-smart approach that shifts from emitting carbon to storing it and helps shape healthier, wildfire- resilient neighborhoods.

Creating Safe and Regenerative Architecture with Nature

Rooted in traditional building knowledge and strengthened through systems thinking, Lehmbau demonstrates how local earth, wood, and natural fibers can create healthy homes while restoring damaged landscapes.

As wildfires intensify worldwide, particularly in fire-prone regions such as California, communities are searching for safer, healthier, and more regenerative ways to live with nature. Lehmbau responds to this need by reintroducing earthen construction as a modern bioregional material system.

A Healthy Third Skin with Lehmbau walls

Using locally sourced clay, wood, and plant fibers, Lehmbau walls are breathable, non-toxic, and highly fire resistant. Beyond technical performance, the project positions building as a regenerative act, one that reconnects people, materials, and ecosystems.

Lehmbau walls function as a living interface between humans and the environment.

They regulate humidity, support indoor air quality, and create spaces that feel calm, warm, and grounded. Residents experience homes that breathe, age gracefully, and strengthen their connection to nature.

Nature-based Design

Lehmbau embodies a principle central to Except’s work: symbiosis in design. Materials, climate, ecology, and human wellbeing are treated as one interconnected system.

Rather than isolating performance metrics, Lehmbau integrates:

• Fire resistance and climate resilience
• Carbon sequestration through biogenic materials
• Healthy indoor environments
• Local craftsmanship and cultural continuity

The result is architecture that does not merely reduce harm, but actively contributes to ecological and social regeneration.

This brochure and infographics are a collaboration between Autopoiesis and Except Integrated Sustainability, two organizations applying systems thinking to develop solutions for a regenerative, just and sustainable society.