When Gary Zuker bought an undeveloped piece of land outside of Austin,Texas he knew the only way he could afford a home there was to build it himself. With no building experience, he immersed himself in architecture books at the University of Texas (where he works as a computer engineer). He fell in love with … 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
In the heart of the Thar Desert in the Indian state of Rajasthan, this girls school was a pro-bono project by New York–based architect Diana Kellogg commissioned by a non-profit group. The school will serve more than 400 girls from households below the poverty line in the region where female literacy is just 36 percent. … Read more
My friend Michael Judd lived in Nicaragua for many years and moved to Frederick, Maryland several years ago with his wife to establish a permaculture homestead. I recently got this email from him that is so enticing I thought I would pass it on too you.Spring has Sprung in full force at Long Creek Homestead … Read more
Alosha Lynoff, founder of Bio Veda, is now living in one of Russia’s colder places and has designed a unique self-heating tiny home that doesn’t use firewood or fossil fuels. The Wautillarium uses thermophilic bacteria and taps into the energy of the sun for a stable temperature year-round, with geothermal air ducts passively delivering warm … Read more