On the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, in the small village of Peka Peka, there are a series of hillocks that have windows and small white towers that rise above the landscape like periscopes. It turns out that this is the underground home of Friedrich (“Fritz”) and Helen Eisenhofer. Fritz is an architect … Read more
I got this email from Leeann and Cody Gantz: “I am writing to you from central Montana at the foothills of the mountains. Garden zone 4b. Very high wind area. Negative 35 degrees F is very possible here.” “I wanted to share some information for anyone who may be interested. We bought a small cabin … Read more
Massachusetts architect Malcolm “Mac” Wells said, “We are paving and roofing this country to death.” As the environmental movement was gaining steam in the United States, he swore off contemporary design in favor of energy-efficient subterranean dwellings. It is estimated that as many as 2,000 Wells-inspired “earth-sheltered” homes, or earth homes, were constructed in the … Read more
In Ouled Merzoug, a small earthen village near the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, a piece of land was offered by the community to the recently founded women’s association AFOM. They built a Women’s House in close collaboration with local women and workers: a place where women can share their crafts with the community and visitors. … Read more
I recently got an email from Juan Manuel Otero Ferres saying, “I want to share with you some photo albums of the cabin that I built in Uruguay for my family as well as photos of the clay oven that I built on that same land.” When I asked what the cabin was made from, … Read more
Dan Phillips of Phoenix Commotion is a trained architect from Huntsville, Texas, who helps people build their own affordable dream homes with recycled materials. He has helped construct at least 14 houses, mostly for low-income, first-time buyers. When Dan was a child, his family suffered through the Great Depression and he learned to value what … Read more