Building Styles

Building a Straw Bale House in Thailand

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This video shows how a straw bale house in Thailand might be built. There are a number of unique aspects that are different from the standard approach in the Western world, so things can be learned that might be useful. I didn’t notice anything that would raise a red flag in my mind. You can … Read more

Traditional Materials Connect New Buildings to the Past

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This article shows how traditional materials, such as tiles, rocks, bamboo, wooden sticks, timber, rammed earth and bricks are being used in current architecture in China. The Qingxiao Residence uses green tiles, rammed earth, masonry blocks, bamboo, old stone slabs, old rubble, and terrazzo recycled from demolished villages. Not only were the traditional building materials … Read more

The Off-Grid Ecocapsule Transportable Pod

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The Ecocapsule is self-contained egg-shaped, mobile dwelling with solar and wind energy. Sona Pohlova and Tomáš Žáček created the original design in 2014 for an American client “who had a big ranch where he didn’t have any infrastructure and he needed some living units for visitors”. They spent 5 years turning their plans into a … Read more