Inspired by the church missions built in the 18th century in California, Dave Wills thought “If they can last that long, it must be a solid way to build,” explaining why he looked into rammed earth to build his dream home in Philomath, Oregon. The walls are made from earth from a nearby quarry, a … Read more
Martin Anda, with his wife and some friends, bought a piece of land in Fremantle, Western Australia, that was part of an existing One Planet Living certified eco-village residential precinct. The land had a north facing orientation to help capture the Australian winter sunlight. Martin lives with his wife in one 60 square meter (646 … Read more
In 1978 the Howards were urban professionals. Wanting a simpler, more meaningful life on a smaller budget, the family-of-4 lived on $18K/year, reducing costs to $10K/year after moving to their “intentional” Colorado homestead. They moved into an abandoned double-wide trailer on their 35 acre property and began raising chickens and goats for milk, as well … Read more
This 3,000-square-foot home in Vadodara, India, with three bedrooms and a pool, was built for a couple with two sons. They wanted an eco-friendly, well-ventilated home with plenty of natural light and an aesthetic blending with nature. “The layout is a simple one, divided in two blocks — one with all the living areas and … Read more
In her book Lo-TEK: Design by Radical Indigenism, Julia Watson proposes to revalue the techniques of construction, production, cultivation and extraction carried out by diverse remote populations who, generation after generation, have managed to keep alive ancestral cultural practices integrated with nature, with a low environmental cost and simple execution. While modern societies try to … Read more
“The new Helderberg Environmental Center is truly a magnificent building and provides the perfect setting for the various environmental education programs the City’s nature reserves offer schools and interest groups. This center provides us with a practical example of what a green City facility can look like. The project as a whole has proved just … Read more