Month: May 2025

Gulzar’s House In Ladakh, India Offers a New Twist on Vernacular Architecture

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In Ladakh, India’s highest plateau, residential architecture is shaped by extreme cold, intense solar radiation and arid landscape. Structures rely on locally sourced sun-dried mud bricks, rammed earth and timber, with hand-plastered walls and meticulously layered timber and compacted earth roofs engineered to withstand heavy snowfall. The spatial organization—livestock housed on the ground floor with … Read more

A Hawaiian Dream Homestead

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About 40 years ago, William bought 1.25 acres for $6000 on the Big Island of Hawaii and began growing his own food and building his own shelters. He was inspired to leave his native Wisconsin for a place where it would be easier to live off the land.  Today he lives with only solar power … Read more

Windcatchers Cool Buildings Naturally

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Windcatchers have been a sustainable solution to cooling and ventilation in arid climates, predating modern air conditioning by millennia. They are chimney-like towers with open sides designed to capture breezes high above ground level and direct them into the buildings below. By channeling cool air downward and expelling warm air through opposite vents, they provide … Read more

The New Streat Hill House Embodies Much Recycled Content

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The New Streat Hill House in England was built from recycled materials, including rubble from a burned-out bungalow that was on the site. When viewed from a distance, the home is intended to resemble two barns sitting on a meadow. This was achieved by half burying the 750-square-metre residence into the south-facing slope and covering … Read more