New office building uses traditional clay construction method In the eco-friendly and trendy Confluence district of Lyon, buildings made of 'mud' are making a comeback. Nicolas Meunier is building a 1,000 square metre office building made of a mixture of clay and gravel known as adobe. It is a material which is keeps buildings cool despite high outside temperatures and has historically been used extensively for construction work in the Lyon region. The technique has been lost as modern methods replace more traditional ones. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES