Building a Natural Future with Joe Kennedy

“Joseph Kennedy is an architectural designer, writer, artist and filmmaker who specializes in sustainable building, ecological design, and community development. After many years of teaching sustainable building techniques in Africa, Asia, Europe, United States and South America, he now teaches architecture at NewSchool of Architecture & Design. Joe is a co-founder of the organization Builders Without Borders, and international network of ecological builders who advocate the use of local, affordable materials in construction. Widely published in journals, proceedings and books, he also co-edited The Art of Natural Building, now in its greatly expanded second edition.”

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Earth Houses of Vilcabamba, Ecuador

Earthbag dome home in Ecuador
Earthbag dome home in Ecuador

I heard about rammed earth and adobe houses of Vilcabamba in a tourism video of Ecuador. Vilcabamba is famous for its natural beauty, perfect climate and high percentage of centenarians. Intrigued, I did some searching around on the Internet and discovered the following natural homes of interest. This shows how easy it is to find sustainable homes built of natural materials in most parts of the world now.

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Bamboo Joint Lashing Techniques

Very good overview of bamboo joinery. Most books are skimpy on bamboo joinery. The whole house doesn’t haven’t to be built out of bamboo. You could build the roof, interior walls and/or just use bamboo for decorative purposes such as wall panels or drop grid ceilings.

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Magical houses, made of bamboo

“You’ve never seen buildings like this. The stunning bamboo homes built by Elora Hardy and her team in Bali twist, curve and surprise at every turn. They defy convention because the bamboo itself is so enigmatic. No two poles of bamboo are alike, so every home, bridge and bathroom is exquisitely unique. In this beautiful, immersive talk, she shares the potential of bamboo, as both a sustainable resource and a spark for the imagination. “We have had to invent our own rules,” she says.”

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