A Round Straw-Clay Studio in Michigan

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On a rural farm near Bear Lake, Michigan, builder Thomas Hirsch and architectural designer Ellis Wills Begley are embracing sustainable methods by incorporating materials like straw-clay insulation, black locust wood, and foamed glass aggregate. The studio they are building is in a circular form because round shapes are inherently natural and create a sense of … Read more

Embracing Circularity Through Reclaimed Building Materials

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Kelley Lowe is a passionate environmentalist. Her interest in creating a sustainable future for material culture drew her to the work of Re:Purpose Savannah, where she is helping to build a regional market for reclaimed lumber. Learn more about why she is an ardent supporter of deconstruction and recycled building materials, and why this practice … Read more

Morning Dove Rammed Earth Home Blends with Desert

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Morning Dove is a model of 21st-century desert architecture set in Twentynine Palms, California. There are two structures, a main house, and a guest house, both featuring rammed earth construction. Soil from the property, which is mostly granite, was mixed with colored mortars. The mixture was then poured into forms and compacted by a tamper. … Read more

The Norwegian Folk Museum

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For thousands of years survival in Norway’s countryside, where farms were miles from each other, meant complete self-sufficiency. Farmsteads were like small villages with several families living together and building their homes from logs and turf. At Oslo’s Norwegian Folk Museum, entire farmsteads have been transplanted log-by-log by master carpenters who use traditional joinery techniques … Read more