Ten Gabion Projects

Gabions are wire cages filled with stones and they can used to create walls and many other projects, as the graphic shown below illustrates. We have featured the use of gabions in other blog posts, such as DYI Gabion Walls, Gabion Band Stone Construction, Gabion Beams for Earthquake Resilience This graphic is courtesy of www.wirefence.co.uk

A New Wave of Intentional Communities

The East Wind Community is hidden deep in the Ozarks of southern Missouri and calls itself an “income-sharing, egalitarian community”. They have 1,145 acres of largely undeveloped highland forest. There are 27 buildings and structures, including four large dormitories, nine personal shelters, a kitchen and dining facility, an automobile shop, a nut butter manufacturing plant … Read more

New Rammed Earth School in Nepal

Nearly 8,000 schools were destroyed in the 2015 earthquake in central Nepal, and more than 33,000 classrooms collapsed. Fortunately the quake struck on a Saturday when the schools were closed. The earthquake gave Nepali architects reason to consider stronger structures that also addressed seasonal variation in temperature, natural lighting and airiness. The Dwarpaleswor Secondary School … Read more

Lovely Off-Grid House Boat

This stunning 700-square-foot, self-built float home is fully off-grid with solar power, a pellet stove, a composting toilet, and an evaporation grey water system that ensures nothing is dumped overboard! It has an open concept kitchen, living and dining space, a master bedroom and bathroom on the main floor, two bedrooms on the second floor, … Read more