Architects around the world are finding ways to respond to their local climates and cultural contexts to keep housing cooler. Some are inspired by vernacular architecture and others learn from nature and employ biomimicry. The Startup Lions campus is an information and communications technology campus located on the banks of Lake Turkana, Kenya. This building … Read more
This rammed earth cottage in Tasmania, Australia is part of a collection of 29 self-contained cottages that make up Piermont Retreat. It has high timber lined vaulted ceilings with quality joinery and rich, textured walls thanks to the rammed-earth construction. There is a spacious bedroom with walk in shower. A brick-lined fireplace in the living … Read more
The Tiny Farm Fort was the first project of the Tiny Farm Lab, helmed by architect brothers Raghav and Ansh Kumar. 90 volunteers from over 18 countries arrived at a remote mountain forest in Rishikesh, India in 2021 to help build this house of cob. They say the project “was a consequence of a lifestyle … 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
Sinfonia Verde is an off-grid home that merges with the surrounding jungle ecology in Costa Rica. It floats over the jungle floor, almost disappearing with its permeability—an ideal way, it would seem, for inhabiting the jungle. Sinfonia Verde is a residence for a pair of researchers—a climate scientist and a marine biologist—who profoundly influenced the … Read more
With 25,000 euros and 1,000 hours of work, Maurizio Cesprini and his partner Paola Gardin rebuilt a ruined home in the medieval village of Ghesc, Italy. They hope other young families will consider their example with a plentiful supply of medieval ghost towns. They also feel drawn to save the rich architectural heritage of artisanal … Read more