This straw bale roundhouse in Benbow, Northern California, provides a comfortable living temperature that adjusts to the summer and winter months. It has a central post and large beams on the ceiling. There is a large kitchen, living and dining room, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and open loft above for storage. There are built-in shelving, … Read more
This custom designed passive solar home in Tulsa, Oklahoma has a sun room, spiral staircase to 2nd floor, wood stove, abundant cabinets, 2 acres with pond, gardens and a tree house. Lots of natural materials were used in the construction and there is a rustic elegance. See tulsaworld for more information.
This approximately 260 sq ft, earth sheltered underground Hobbit Hole is within a permaculture-based, sustainable, off-grid village in California. It features colored bottles built into the wall, stained glass windows, center tree pillar with atrium windows above, and medieval Celtic Cross above the Hobbit Hole (outside and atop) giving it a Hobbit Church feeling. You … Read more
A 19th-century hay barn in Surrey, England has been transformed into a into a family home, revealing the original stone structure and complementing it with cedar shingle-clad extensions. “The stone walls were in good condition and the roof had been recently re-tiled, so to reduce the carbon footprint of the project we went for a … Read more
Marks Barfield Architects designed the Cambridge Central Mosque that is respectful of its surroundings while incorporating traditional Islamic design aspects, including geometric patterns that symbolize the infinite. The building, which replaces an old mosque that had become too small for the congregation, was designed around the idea of a “calm oasis of contemplation” situated within … Read more
It took 2 years and 3.5 million pounds of dirt just to create the two-foot-thick rammed-earth walls of this 6,000-square-foot home designed by Lake Flato Architects for Ashlyn and Dan Perry outside of Marfa, Texas. “Part of the reason that rammed earth was the chosen construction method was due to the thermodynamic properties. Because of … Read more