Building Styles

Open Air Theater Cafe in Thailand

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This bamboo construction has served as the setting for experimental music artists from all over the world at an annual festival in Thailand. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the stage has been transformed into a ‘theater cafe’ by weaving fishing nets through the bamboo roof of the original construction. The back of the stage now … Read more

Sheltered: Underground and Off the Grid

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This article and documentary film are about building an underground complex that is far from being a natural building project. But I am posting this because I think that there are worthwhile things that can be learned. Sheltered: Underground and Off the Grid is a full-length documentary that chronicles the building of the largest underground … Read more

Earth Building Online Academy

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I just found out about the Earth Building Academy and their online courses. They have been teaching for 20 years and recently ran a free online pizza oven course and had confirmation that online courses really work. They currently are offering a 3 month series of online classes that starts on Monday, January 18th and … Read more

Ikea is now selling Tiny Homes

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The wildly successful Swedish company, Ikea, is seeking to move ecologically optimized tiny houses  to the mainstream. These tiny houses, or trailers around 200 square feet, bear the company’s trademark airy and minimalist style and retail for around $50,000.With Ikea’s emphasis on recycled and reusable materials, the company seems likely to accelerate some important shifts … Read more

Artful Bamboo Complex in Indonesia

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This lovely building complex in Mekarwangi village, Indonesia, is a workshop and residence designed by RAW architecture. It was created with local craftsmen and materials (mostly bamboo) to create three organic-shaped buildings that fit into the landscape. They used recycled plastic, sympodial bamboo, and local stone for the foundations. The artisan workshop is a raised … Read more