Simon Velez’s bamboo ecolodge design in China is truly stunning. I think combining bamboo with earthen construction such as earthbags is one of the most sustainable of all building methods. “Crosswaters Ecolodge, Guangdong Province, S. China. Hitesh was the Planning and Design team leader that planned, designed and supervised the construction of the first ecolodge … Read more
Cliff, one of our readers, sent me these photos of old cob houses in New Zealand. They look really nice, especially considering their age. I knew New Zealand and Australia have a long history of building with earth, but I didn’t realize how well the buildings are holding up and how beautiful they are. The … Read more
Specifications: 448 sq. ft. interior, 1 bedroom, 1 bath, Footprint: 19′ x 31′ Description: This plan is designed to be compact and efficient. Most houses this size do not have as many features — washer/dryer, wood stove, and modern kitchen and bath. There are even two closets. An archway separates the bedroom from the main … Read more
In Uganda, a meeting hall with open windows and doors is known by many names and dialects; tukulu (Ngakarimojong), and ot aperu (Luo) to name a few. This is an ancient, iconic structure, usually constructed in a round shape, but it can be shaped differently. The purpose and ambience of the building is more important … Read more
Earth lodges are just as beautiful and practical now as they have been for thousands of years. The above photo and videos provide a glimpse of what living in an earth lodge is like. They’re a good example of timeless beauty that will never go out of style. An earth lodge demonstrates what can be … Read more
Specifications: Lodge = 800 sq. ft. interior, 19’ interior DIA master bedroom dome plus loft = 452 sq. ft., two 16’ interior DIA bedrooms plus lofts = 600 sq. ft., one 16’ interior DIA bath/mechanical dome = 201 sq. ft., two baths, total = 2,053 sq. ft., Footprint: 62′ x 66′ Description: Can you say … Read more