Paul Harnish can still remember the 50-foot whale backbone used as the handrail for two flights of steps leading up to “Bonavista Lodge,” a beach-stone cottage tucked into the woods. It belonged to his grandfather, who operated a fish plant in Hubbards Cove, Canada. Paul says the getaway was named for its stunning panoramic view … Read more
Gauri Satam and Tejesh Patil have joined forces to found unTAG, a Mumbai-based architectural and interior design firm that believes in building sustainable homes. They have worked on around 40 environmentally and economically sustainable projects so far. “As a student, I wanted to change the myth that architects are exclusive to people with money. A … Read more
I got this email from Leeann and Cody Gantz: “I am writing to you from central Montana at the foothills of the mountains. Garden zone 4b. Very high wind area. Negative 35 degrees F is very possible here.” “I wanted to share some information for anyone who may be interested. We bought a small cabin … Read more
This recent article at insideclimatenews.org titled Inside Clean Energy: 6 Things Michael Moore’s ‘Planet of the Humans’ Gets Wrong, written by Dan Gearino claims that the documentary’s “facts” are deceptive and misleading and way out of date. I wrote a blog post about this documentary where there is a link to watch it at www.naturalbuildingblog.com … Read more
Massachusetts architect Malcolm “Mac” Wells said, “We are paving and roofing this country to death.” As the environmental movement was gaining steam in the United States, he swore off contemporary design in favor of energy-efficient subterranean dwellings. It is estimated that as many as 2,000 Wells-inspired “earth-sheltered” homes, or earth homes, were constructed in the … Read more
Under the guidance of the German master-builder Jörg Stamm, folks at Bamboo U, a build and design course in Bali, have created a bamboo yurt which can fold like an umbrella and be deployed in an instant. The yurt’s frame is made from bamboo of the Phyllostachys species, referred to in Bali as Bambu Jajang. … Read more