The pandemic has taught us several valuable lessons. It led to a new interest in redesigning-built environments that promote healthy indoor atmospheres and provide a space for reflection along with social distancing. The architecture of a space affects how people move within a space and live their lives. By using organic design principles and sustainable systems, we can transform and renew our built environment. A holistic approach that combines natural and built elements can create a sense of harmony and health, which is in line with the essence of organic architecture. Organic architecture can provide a sustainable solution to the persistent conflict between humans and nature due to urbanization, resource scarcity, and deforestation. By incorporating organic design principles, we can reconcile expanding urban environments and mass constructions with the natural world and biosphere. This approach can establish a harmonious relationship between human-made environments and nature, creating a more sustainable future. Despite their benefits, earthen materials are not widely used in new construction in North America. (Jenkins Swan, Rteil, and Lovegrove 2011) Some people even might believe that earthen materials are indicators of poverty, creating a social stigma that limits their use. Labor standards and knowledge sharing in the building industries may preference other ways of building. For others, the technical data available may be insufficient to quantify an understanding of building performance in various climates. Importantly, earthen materials are not fully represented in building codes and standards, particularly in North America.(Jenkins Swan, Rteil, and Lovegrove 2011) According to recent research, earthen building materials are capable of regulating indoor temperatures and humidity to attain optimal levels for occupant health (Alassaad et al. 2021). Low toxicity along with recyclability at the end of its life cycle which in turn allows for a cradle-to-cradle supply chain are also some of the other advantages of earthen materials. By being sustainable from the start of its life cycle, this thesis explores the use of earthen materials in construction by not just promoting the environmental benefits but also demonstrating how it could possibly add life to new organic forms.

Les impacts de la construction sur l'environnement et sur la santé des habitants sont aujourd'hui des enjeux prioritaires. Les matériaux en terre crue connaissent un essor important pour de nombreuses raisons (écologique, économique, etc.), mais des questions se posent sur leur sensibilité à la prolifération des moisissures vis-à-vis de la qualité de l'air intérieur. Au cours de ces travaux, les flores bactériennes et fongiques présentes sur des supports en terre crue, biosourcés ou non, au sein d'habitations, ainsi que dans les matières premières, ont été caractérisées selon des méthodes par culture et par métabarcoding. Les champignons détectés sont similaires à ceux présents dans les habitations conventionnelles. L'ajout de fibres végétales ne modifie pas la structure des communautés fongiques mais rend le matériau plus sensible à la prolifération. Celle-ci n'intervient qu'en condition d'accident hydrique. Des approches de lutte biologique à partir de bactéries ont été initiées pour inhiber la prolifération fongique sur ces matériaux. / Impacts of building on environment and on health of inhabitants are nowadays priority issues. The interest for earthen materials is increasing for many reasons (ecological, economical, etc.), but some questions are raised about their fungal proliferation sensitivity considering the quality of indoor air. This work consists in characterizing by cultural and metabarcoding methods the fungal and bacterial communities on the surface of earthen building materials, biobased or not, and raw materials. Detected fungi are related to those which are identified in conventional buildings. The addition of vegetal fibers don't modify the fungal communities structure, but make the material more favorable for proliferation. The fungal development appears only under water damage condition. Biocontrol methods with bacteria have been initiated in order to inhibit the fungal proliferation on these materials.