An odd doughnut-shaped structure, resembling a thatched UFO, rises from a field on the outskirts of a rural town in central Colombia. Bamboo lattice walls curve up from the ground to form its bulging shell, tapering to a central chimney where wisps of smoke waft into the sky. Through the mesh walls, it is possible … Read more
Inspired by desert dunes and ocean waves, this earthen home in Kazakhstan is a self-built eco dream, seemingly straight out of a fantasy novel, but this surrealist cob house is far from fiction. “When people first encounter our house, they struggle to believe it’s a residence,” says Dilyara Mazhitova. “Most assume it’s a public space … Read more
The Shell Restaurant is located on the cliffs of Diamond Beach and is a key feature of the Intaaya Retreat in Bali.. With its expressive rooftop and bamboo construction, the structure opens broadly toward the coastal landscape and maintains a strong commitment to sustainability. The Intaaya Retreat is entirely self-sufficient in water, using a deep … Read more
About 40 years ago, William bought 1.25 acres for $6000 on the Big Island of Hawaii and began growing his own food and building his own shelters. He was inspired to leave his native Wisconsin for a place where it would be easier to live off the land. Today he lives with only solar power … Read more
On a rural property on the slopes of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, Morgan Bierschenk and his team have been refining a durable, mineral-like material to build sturdy dome homes with a particular matte-ceramic finish. They have called their modular dome homes Geoships. Geoships are made of “bioceramic.” Used up until recently on high-end consumer electronic … Read more
Natalie Musielski, a student in the Architecture program at Ferris State University in Michigan, imagined “Happy Walls,” a cooperative apartment complex for graduate students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks that leverages sustainable design principles and the psychological effects of light to counteract the negative mental health impacts of the region’s unusual seasonal light cycles. … Read more