Rosie constructed a fine off-the-grid home out of five 20ft shipping containers. The home is situated in the middle of a spectacular conservation block and her modern shipping container home has been wonderfully designed to take full advantage of the surrounding landscape. This home is completely off the grid, with solar power, rainwater collection and … Read more
I recently got this email and have permission to share it: I just wanted to show you our earthbag chicken coop that we finished a couple months ago. The plaster is not finished yet, just a couple earth coats. But we plan to finish it with lime here soon. I wanted to thank you for … Read more
Well-designed and built roofs play a key role in protecting bamboo structures while adding to the beauty and experience of the space. What qualifies as a well-designed bamboo roof? There are several key elements that need to be considered: 1) the overhangs of the roof to mitigate the weathering of bamboo poles from direct sun and … Read more
When Laura Hood bought 155 acres and a home near Wenatchee, WA, there was a caved-in root cellar near the house. Ten years later, the root cellar has been restored. The root cellar is thought to be the first white settler house built in the area by James Christiansen in 1886. It was described in … Read more
Windcatchers are a great example of the marriage between architectural design and the environment to help keep your house cool. For more than a thousand years, windcatchers have existed in and around the Persian Gulf, providing natural ventilation and passive cooling. Keeping cool through the summer involves controlling how all the elements in the house … Read more
TECLA (an acronym for “Technology and Clay”) is a prototype eco-house built near Ravenna, Italy. It is made entirely by 3D-printing a material based on locally-sourced clay and is a collaboration between architect Mario Cucinella and 3D-printer manufacturer WASP. TECLA is a habitat consisting of two interconnected housing units, each covered by a semi-spherical dome. … Read more