Fungus-farming termites create their own air conditioning systems that circulate hot and cool air between their mound and the outside. High-resolution scanning technology and computer simulations were used to examine the microscopic structure of the external walls of African termite nests. In slabs that look solid to the naked eye, a network of tiny, interconnected … Read more
This 120-year-old farmhouse is so energy efficient it puts some new-builds to shame. Hill House in Blacklion, Ireland, was restored with sustainability at its core.The restoration took nearly two years. Inside, the floor and internal walls were replaced. Designed so that it could be heated through passive solar means, the center of the house was … Read more
Ten years ago when Tim Kroeker’s last child finally graduated high school, he and his wife decided it was now or never to follow through on their dream of building a house…an alternative house…in “the country”. With their years of research they could see the advantages (and some of the downsides) to the various possible … Read more
Rob Avis with Verge Permaculture interviewed me on his YouTube channel a couple of weeks ago, and it is now available for you to see at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGXrWnoviCw The program runs almost an hour and is primarily about earthbag building, partly to promote the book I wrote titled Essential Earthbag Construction, published by New Society Publishing.
inhabitat.com featured an article about the pros and cons of using shipping containers as a basis for creating buildings. I think that they make some good points, so I’ll outline those below.Pros: CostCompared to building a similar structure with brick and mortar, on average, “cargotecture” can be 30 percent cheaper. Structural Stability Since steel containers … Read more
Hive Earth is a construction company based in Accra, Ghana. They build affordable and eco-friendly housing, using locally sourced materials such as clay, laterite and granite chippings which are abundantly available in West Africa. They use some cement or lime as a binder. There is need for about 2 million new houses in Ghana per year, … Read more