Liz Hatch is building an Earthship in Greensboro, Vermont. Surrounded by a mass of scrap tires, cardboard and piled fill materials, she said “All this stuff, a lot of it, is just garbage.” She had been trying to live sustainably in her 19th-century Massachusetts home, converting it to geothermal energy. “I have wanted to minimize my … Read more
In February this year Claude Carter and his wife Andrea Pindan suffered the loss of their temporary mobile home to a tornado. Just three years earlier their previous house had burned to the ground. Now, after three years’ work, they are finally moving into their new earthbag home, which they built themselves. They live in … Read more
The River Ranch project features natural materials: rammed earth, vertical grain cedar, limestone. Rainwater catchment, and an underground cistern serve the residence. Located in the Texas Hill Country, it was designed so that the structure should be integrated into its surroundings, which is composed of beautiful oak trees, open views, and a slice of the … Read more
Adobe is one of the few materials whose production, lifespan, and disposal results in net-zero carbon emissions. In this article we will highlight the use of adobe in Araukaria Arquitectura’s project El Encuentro on the outskirts of Bogota, Colombia which has a humid, rainy climate. Adobe block walls, unlike rammed earth, can be built rather … Read more
When Cyclone Amphan tore through Bengal, India, Linus Kendall and Rupsa Nath’s house, built with mud, thatch and bamboo sustained minimal damage. Other houses in the vicinity suffered broken window panes or missing tin sheds, but their unique home stood tall. Fondly christened ‘Kancha-Paka’ (Raw and Ripe), the Swedish-Bengali couple’s home has some conventional elements, … Read more
Judy Quick has lived in a custom-built, subterranean home in Western Pennsylvania since 2003.“I mow my roof,” Quick said while giving a tour of her unorthodox three-bedroom, two-bathroom home that’s on more than 11 acres. She said advantages of underground living include quiet conditions, added protection from severe weather and a nearly constant indoor temperature. … Read more