Chinmay Pareek from Brzee Studio in India sent me some photos of his latest project: an earthbag house in Jaipur that is surrounded by big concrete bungalows and high rises in the main city. In addition to earthbags, they are using exposed stone walls, wattle and daub walls with murals as partitions, and a bamboo … Read more
Intrepid earthbag researcher and advocate Patti Stouter sent me this remarkable photo taken in Nepal. She says, “I just got this photo from someone who helped build about 500 earthbag houses in Nepal after the quakes. This heavy truck had an accident and rolled off an adjacent mountain road and onto the roof of this … Read more
Rebecca Tasker, with a crew of apprentices, is building two straw bale houses near Escondido, California. So the building project is also a teaching site. “Using straw fits in with permaculture. People like sustainability,” Tasker said. “When you talk of energy used for building materials, that energy was already used in growing the food that … Read more
On a remote, rural mountain near Zhejiang, China, a new eco-resort in was made from local materials and designed designed by kooo architects. This Retreat Village is a cluster of luxury suites that blends into its surroundings. Rammed earth walls are complemented by bamboo, red bricks, stone and carbonized wood. Other locally produced and recycled … Read more
Tucked outside of Sanmenxia City in China’s Henan Province is a 4,000-year-old Chinese town nicknamed the “mole town.” More than 3,000 people live in underground dwellings known as yaodongs (or “house caves”). They’ve only recently become accessible to tourists looking to experience them firsthand. The yaodongs originated during the Bronze Age—a period when it was … Read more
Austin Maynard, the Australian architects who designed this St Andrews Beach House say that, “Beach houses exist for simple relaxation, an escape from the city, for quietude and downtime with family and friends. It should provide contrast from day-to-day normality, be super low maintenance, relatively self-sustaining and basic, but not without simple creature comforts.” This … Read more