Date of Award
Spring 6-3-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Architecture (MArch)
Department
Architecture
First Advisor
Tatjana Crossley
Second Advisor
Ana Gabriela Loayza
Abstract
When mentioning the word hemp, especially in the local language of Madagascar, the literal translation does not set it apart from marijuana, as they are both called “rongony” - creating the stigma around hemp as the negative stereotype of marijuana. However, the material has been used by the ancestors of Madagascar, as well as across cultures, in its fibrous form to produce fabrication like textile goods and packaging. During colonization, the prohibition of hemp intensified, and since then, any activity related to either of these plants is prohibited and will end in severe punitive measures. This thesis explores the strengths and sustainable properties of hemp as a building material, and how it can help empower local communities in Madagascar. Through reconnecting with an ancestral and traditional plant while also combining traditional Malagasy architectural practices in construction (primarily brick making, biomimicry, and weaving). Looking at hemp in the material palette of Madagascar gives rise to the question: how hemp can help support and innovate Malagasy communities?
Recommended Citation
Andrianambinina, Henintsoa Thierry, "Reintroducing Hemp (rongony) in the Material Palette of Madagascar: A study on the potential of Hemp Clay components and its impact on social and ecological communities." (2023). Masters Theses. 1117.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1117
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Included in
African Studies Commons, Agricultural Economics Commons, Agricultural Education Commons, Architectural Technology Commons, Biodiversity Commons, Environmental Design Commons, Environmental Education Commons, Environmental Health Commons, Fiber, Textile, and Weaving Arts Commons, Indigenous Studies Commons, Integrative Biology Commons, Natural Resource Economics Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Nature and Society Relations Commons, Other Architecture Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plants Commons, Regional Economics Commons, Soil Science Commons, Sustainability Commons, Theory, Knowledge and Science Commons
Comments
View exhibition online: Thierry Andrianambinina, Reintroducing Hemp in the Material Palette of Madagascar