Carl Elefante’s Going for Zero: Decarbonizing the Built Environment on the Path to Our Urban Future broadens the horizon about how architecture can move toward a carbon-free future and achieve it. Elefante, who served as the 2018 National AIA president, writes about the valuable lessons that our built heritage can teach us. He is concerned … Read more
As the price of home ownership and even traditional rental units continues to skyrocket in many areas across the country, more and more people are turning to alternative solutions. Things like tiny homes, shipping containers, and even granny flats are becoming increasingly common. In many cases, these smaller homes can be found on the same … Read more
Ellen Snortland and her husband have now lost a home to fire, another to flooding and another to a mudslide — and they’re tired of fighting the elements. “We are going to have to deal with extreme weather for the rest of our lives. To pretend otherwise is really folly,” she said. “I don’t see … Read more
Thirty years ago, a group of permaculture experts purchased 329 acres of degraded land in Western North Carolina with a vision: to restore the landscape while creating a new model of communal living. What began as an experiment in living well off the land has grown into one of the nation’s oldest cohousing communities, where … Read more
Architects from the Faculty of Architecture at Brno University of Technology in the Czech Republic, together with the municipality and volunteers, have built an unconventional double-sided columbarium (a structure designed to hold the cremated remains of the deceased) at a local cemetery. The columbarium was created during summer schools and workshops using traditional rammed earth. … Read more
A group of engineers visited a remote mountain village tucked deep into Kashmir’s rural land. They came hoping to learn from what they found, and what they first noticed was an old, broken mud house, abandoned and half-swallowed by wild grass. The roof had caved in. Wooden beams, once solid and proud, were now warped … Read more