Ross and Kristin Ulibarri live in a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Valverde Commons, a senior co-housing community within walking distance of historic Taos Plaza in New Mexico. Its sculpted adobe-style exterior makes it look like a traditional Southwestern dwelling. The house has triple-glazed windows and air-tight insulation, so it rarely needs any heating beyond the … Read more
The Daiku House in Berne, New York is a custom-crafted two-bedroom home on seven secluded acres that thoughtfully incorporates Japanese-inspired style and design. Built in 1982 by the home’s current and original owner who studied carpentry in Japan (“Daiku” translates to “carpenter” in Japanese), the two-story open-floor plan combines timber-frame construction with traditional techniques, hand-cut … Read more
Italian construction company BIOmat Canapa has created a 100% natural and recyclable brick, crafted from a blend of lime and canapulo, with exceptional insulation properties while combating humidity. Canapulo is a specialized hemp variety cultivated specifically for construction. Lime acts as a vital binding agent, ensuring cohesion and bolstering the overall strength of hemp bricks. … Read more
Straw has a long history as a building material, finding application in thatch roofs, as a binding agent in adobe bricks and cob, as insulation, and in straw bale construction. Straw, a renewable, recyclable, regionally available, and low-cost material, offers a climate-friendly alternative to conventional building materials. Indeed, straw provides a viable solution to decarbonizing … Read more
“People can’t find homes, they’re very expensive. We also have an aging population … so there’s less and less people who are electricians, plumbers, or builders,” says Habib Dagher, the executive director of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC). They recently unveiled what may be the world’s largest polymer 3D printer. … Read more
Ayuru the Forest Temple is a 230 sqm (2,476 sf) multi-functional space created for an ecological sanctuary in Brazil that is a UNESCO Heritage Site. This forest village is a conglomeration of ecological accommodations reminiscent of vernacular Brazilian Architecture. The roof structure is built of Guadua bamboo and is supported on 16 columns (11m or … Read more