At Cob Cottage Company in Oregon Kara Stiff trained in cob, an ancient technique using clay, sand and straw, with stone or recycled concrete for the foundation. They built rounded houses that seemed right out of a fairy tale, using materials that were freely available just about everywhere, non-toxic, cozy and beautiful. There wasn’t a … Read more
The Paddy Field Bookstore, located among paddy fields in the Xiadi village in China, is made from the remains of an abandoned house. Xiadi , which is over 800 years old, is in China’s Fujian province, which is close to the bordering island country of Taiwan. Rather than tearing down the village’s many dilapidated buildings, … Read more
Emma lives in the wild woods of Wales, where she is close to nature , with no running water, electricity, or internet. For Emma, this way of life is all about building a closer relationship to nature while also creating a lifestyle where she is free of the pressures of the modern world. Her simple … Read more
This video shows a fellow building what he calls a studio out of mostly natural materials. There is no discussion or narration accompanying the video, so you have to watch to see how he goes about the project. The walls are primarily wattle and daub, using vertical bamboo poles stuck in the ground with some … Read more
Chinmay Pareek from Brzee Studio in India sent me some recent photos of how his project is progressing. We reported on this awhile ago in this post. This is an earthbag house in Jaipur that is surrounded by concrete and high rises in the main city. In addition to earthbags, they are using exposed stone, … Read more
An old stone building in Captain Cook’s boyhood village gets a new lease of life as the Poorhouse Cafe and Bar opens. One of the oldest buildings in Great Ayton is setting sail on a new adventure, after 18 months of renovation by local couple Michael and Cherie Larkin. Images of when the listed Yorkshire … Read more