In Arizona’s high desert, Jonathan and Ashley Longnecker are building an off-grid homestead that relies on earth walls, solar power, rainwater catchment, and a lot of hands-on labor. Their project is a real-world test of whether a modern family can reduce consumption, live more independently, and build a home that works with a dry, demanding … Read more
For most of her adult life, Arielle Crawford has focused on sustainability and holistic living. She taught sustainable manufacturing and made sure to eat organic foods and wear natural, breathable fibers whenever possible. Still, she didn’t give much thought to the apartment she lived in—until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “I saw the walls and thought, … Read more
Warrick Hill Farm in Australia is set across 40 hectares (99 acres) has been held and cherished by the same family for generations. At the heart of the property sits a custom-built rammed earth residence featuring soaring raked timber lined ceilings, with timber sourced directly from the property itself and a warmth that only natural … Read more
Constructed in 1560 on the foundations of an earlier medieval fortress, Scargill Castle in England is a residence that has been transformed into a holiday cottage following its restoration from a dilapidated ruin. The grand arched entrance hall of Scargill Castle opens into a dining hall featuring roof beams hewn from oak trees felled over … Read more
“Our planet is partly made of boiling magma and we’re standing on its dry crust,” says London-based architect and stone evangelist Amin Taha. “It’s available almost everywhere and we’re not going to run out of it any time soon.” Strong, fireproof, beautiful, and low in embodied carbon, stone is an ancient building material, used for … Read more
For centuries, Filipinos have built and lived in houses made of bamboo, then with the introduction of steel and lumber, bamboo was regarded as a “poor man’s” building material. Now, by combining ancestral building wisdom with cutting-edge technologies, engineered bamboo is emerging as structurally superior alternatives to steel, lumber, and concrete. Bamboo is widely available … Read more