The second home on Maui, Hawaii using hempcrete for wall construction has been completed. Hempcrete is not only fire, mold and termite resistant, it’s also non-toxic, sound insulating, energy efficient, and absorbs carbon dioxide from the air. The owner, Jon Woodhouse, says, “Walking into my home, you can feel the difference compared to conventional home … 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
While most countries are losing many cultural elements, Bhutan is retaining most of theirs. This is largely due to their current king and the ones that came before him. The Ministry of Works and Human Settlement published the Bhutanese Architecture Guidelines in 2014—a comprehensive manual that makes it easy for architects, engineers, planners and craftsmen … Read more
CobBauge House in the UK, designed by Hudson Architects, is the first code-compliant form of cob building, making an ancient building technique fit 21st century requirements. It combines hemp and mud in a unique way. Traditional cob walls would have to be more than one meter thick in order to comply with contemporary building regulations. … Read more
The first step to cutting construction costs is “affordability by design,” which means ensuring the basic blueprint of a building is optimized to minimize costs from the outset. Biologist Carl Bergmann noticed that larger animals tended to live in colder climates, where their size helps them retain heat more efficiently. This observation suggests that larger … Read more
In Chonburi, Thailand, architect Peeraya Suphasidh tried using the ancient technique of rammed earth, thinking that the local building industry could learn something of value. It has generally been disregarded for its labor intensive and time-consuming nature. In finding the right material composition that would be suitable for the tropical climate with high humidity and … Read more