This is a people-centered story grounded in existing landscapes: In Punjab, India, rice straw is burned after harvest, releasing carbon, depleting soil, and polluting the air. Instead, this project transforms straw into carbon-storing mud-bricks, capturing emissions and generating new revenue for farmers. During the 15-day harvest window, fields become a celebration of materials and labor–farmers, community members, and volunteers gather in collective brick-making. Bricks are then dried and stored in a Material Bank—a low-tech, flexible system with sliding volumes that support workshops, local meetings, and continual use. Brick choreography—changing over time, enabling continuous interaction between people and space—centers the community around the strength of a collective, turning the built environment into a soft open system that adapts with its landscape.
