The recently opened El Perdido Hotel in El Pescadero, Mexico, utilizes traditional construction materials of the region. Time-honored materials like rammed earth, thatched roofs, and Palo de Arco wood were used throughout, using only locally sourced materials and working with local artisans. The architects, Estudio ALA, began with a climate analysis. “We always try to … Read more
www.ecowatch.com has published a Guide to Solar Water Heater Systems that is quite informative. Solar hot water heaters are split into two broad categories: passive and active. Active systems require circulating pumps and passive systems rely on gravity to move water. So active systems require electricity and may use antifreeze to exchange the heat to … Read more
The Native Americans who occupied the area known as Poverty Point in northern Louisiana more than 3,000 years ago long were highly skilled engineers capable of building massive earthen structures that have withstood the test of time. It has been believed that they were simple hunters and gatherers, but new archaeological findings paint a very … Read more
New approaches to home-building are emerging in response to the multiple crises of climate change, unaffordable housing, deprivation and exclusion. Models for housing vary enormously, from self-build, to socially provided housing and speculative, private markets. But the failure of rent-based models to provide homes that people can afford, especially in big cities and larger towns, … Read more
Weltevree, a Dutch company, is manufacturing and selling a prefabricated root cellar that can be dug into the ground and used almost immediately. They call it a GroundFridge, and it sells for between about $12,000 and $18,000 USD. I like the idea but not the price. They say that it holds about as much as … Read more
Three small cob homes (about 100 square feet each) cost around $500 each, not including labor. Quail Springs Permaculture, an educational non-profit in Southern California, built the houses over the span of a few months. According to their natural building director, Sasha Rabin, the structures were made using — along with reclaimed fixtures such as … Read more