Question

Read the passage below carefully:

For centuries, the barey ton—the ancient guild of masons in Djenné—maintained the town's majestic banco architecture through a communal ritual of re-plastering after each rainy season. This cyclical maintenance was not merely structural; it reinforced civic cohesion and preserved an intricate thermal regulator that kept indoor temperatures modest against the Saharan heat. Recently, however, erratic monsoon downpours driven by climate instability have accelerated the degradation of traditional mud-and-husk plaster formulations. In response, municipal planners proposed fortifying the historic structures with imported Portland cement, citing its superior water resistance. While a minority of young apprentices welcomed cement for reducing arduous annual labor, senior guild elders strongly opposed the innovation. They argued that cement's low vapor permeability traps interior moisture, causing the underlying sun-dried mud bricks to rot invisibly from within, while permanently disrupting the breathability that renders banco dwellings habitable. Consequently, international heritage conservationists intervened, funding laboratory research to refine organic binder additives—such as fermented shea butter and locust bean extracts—that enhance natural mud's hydrophobic properties without compromising porosity.

Which of the following inferences regarding the physical properties required for Djenné's architectural preservation is most strongly supported by the passage?