Earthen Homes Are Making a Comeback in Columbia

Deep in the Andes mountains of Columbia, Julio Leon is building a three-room house made mostly out of earth. To make the walls, Leon shovels damp earth in between two wooden panels. Then, he climbs on top of the 3-foot-tall pile and pounds it repeatedly with a wooden ram, turning his mound into a sturdy … Read more

Legendary Adobe Advocate, Simone Swan, Died at 96

Simone Withers Swan, who introduced Nubian vaulted adobe construction to the Chihuahuan desert of Texas and Mexico at the turn of the 21st century, died in Tucson, Arizona, on January 16, 2025. She was 96 years old. Simone Swan was a legendary personality: mercurial, seductive, cultivated, curious, determined, imperious. She was by turns an architectural … Read more

One Person’s Response to California Fires

In October 2020, when a fire threatened Pasadena, California Kenjus Watson and his family temporarily relocated with loved ones across the country in Ohio. Between the fire, terrible air quality, and the ongoing COVID pandemic, they felt the acute fragility of their situation. This marked a turning point him for him. Instead of pursuing an … Read more