At 89, Lloyd Kahn has been building his own homes for over six decades, crafting spaces that include a few domes, at least one tower, and plenty of hand-split shingles. He’s documented his builds, as well as the makeshift homes of thousands of alternative builders all over the US and the world, with whom he … Read more
In a remote village of Pakistan Mustaqeem Khan has cultivated a success story that transcends his rugged surroundings. Using a passive solar greenhouse, he has turned the unforgiving winters into a season of plenty. “This greenhouse is more than just a structure; it’s a lifeline,” Mustaqeem says as he tends to rows of spinach, tomatoes, … Read more
Simon Baker sold his one-bed flat in London to buy a derelict cow shed in North Wales. He put all his savings into buying the land, which was a huge gamble as the shed didn’t have any planning permissions. Simon said, “When I saw the shed I fell in love with it – it was … Read more
Sim Van der Ryn, a Dutch-born architect sometimes called “the father of green architecture,” died. He was 89. Mr. Van der Ryn taught architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1961 to 1995, a span interrupted by a four-year stint in the 1970s as Gov. Jerry Brown’s state architect. Early on Sim was swept … Read more
Several years ago Kirsten Dirksen’s family embarked on a project where they found a derelict (and affordable) country home located in a tiny, well-maintained castle hamlet 1 hour outside Barcelona, Spain. They began renovation with the help of a young architecture studio. Can a home remodel celebrate the layers of past, present, and future? Do … Read more
Yesterday I toured the Crooked Forest Institute‘s land that they recently acquired in the Mimbres Valley in Southern New Mexico via a $200,000 grant . A group of more than a dozen of us who already had some association with the Institute were invited to inspect the 50+ acre property and make suggestions about ways … Read more