Adobe is the oldest building material in the world, found throughout the Middle East, Asia, North Africa, South America, Europe and, of course, the Southwestern United States. Adobe often requires replastering, which explains how adobe structures often change over time. Taos Pueblo, for instance, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the nation, … Read more
Architect Jim Hubbell has created works in San Diego and Tijuana, including an elementary school and a park. And he has been slowly filling his remote property with creative designs over the last 60 years, starting with a small home he built with his wife Anne, when they were first married in 1958. Marianne Gerdes, … Read more
A lush edible oasis of forest garden is grown and lovingly tended by Garry and Ali Foster. Using no-dig, permaculture principles, Matahiwi Forest Garden celebrates balance, diversity and resilience. What was once a thin layer of riverbed silt is now a thriving ecosystem offering sustenance for several households. The Fosters strive to live in partnership … Read more
Xialapu Village is responding to the Chinese national poverty alleviation and relocation policy. The pattern of the new village has changed from random growth to a deliberately planned fan-shaped belt layout. The local government wanted to build an amalgamated dwelling to improve and solve the housing needs of the lonely elderly people in the village. … Read more
Jaya Thursfield and his Japanese-born wife, Chihiro, moved to Japan from London in 2017 with their two young sons and a dream of buying a home with a big yard. What they found was a house that had been abandoned about seven years earlier — one of the millions of vacant houses known as akiya, … Read more
The four houses shown above are completely different in size and style, but they are all environmentally friendly, cheap, and fast to construct because they are made with earthbags. The four earthbag dwellings above are, clockwise from top left, in Veracruz, Mexico, Capetown, South Africa, Ahwaz, Iran and Durban, South Africa. Many countries with urgent … Read more