“We all grew up with the Three Little Pigs,” Greg Bossie says. “So people have a lot of misconceptions about the viability of straw as a building component.” But no one’s huffing, puffing, and blowing houses down that are constructed or renovated by Rare Forms, a unique construction company that Bossie founded in 2020. “We … Read more
The Ugly Truckling is a house truck that was hand built by a woman named Kai in British Columbia over the course of many years. She is a carpenter and an artist, so she did all of the design and woodworking while her husband, Ben, worked on the systems for electricity and gas. Kai and … Read more
Grant Johnson moved to Utah in his 20s, purchased a piece of land that would become an inholding of a National Monument, and spent the next 40 years creating an off-grid homestead with a 5,000 square foot cave house. You can watch the video at www.youtube.com
A group of researchers at RMIT University in Australia has been looking at discarded cardboard and wondering if it could do something useful. Their experiments led to a mix of cardboard, soil, and water that behaves like a building material, not packaging. Early trials point to real potential, especially for builders who are trying to … Read more
Designed as low-carbon dwellings for people who are struggling to afford their own homes, the Tigín Tiny Homes in Ireland measure just 215 sf. They were created by Irish social enterprise Common Knowledge together with hemp producer Margent Farm and built from natural materials, including corrugated hemp cladding panels, cork insulation and natural rubber linoleum … Read more
The Japanese company Lib Work is using earthen materials to 3D print homes. House Model B is a 1,076-square-foot, single-story residence built mainly from earth, lime, and natural fibers. Lib Work says improvements to the overall manufacturing process have lowered its carbon emissions and the building itself is about five times stronger than their previous design … Read more