Thousands gathered in the World Heritage city of Djenné in Mali for the annual Grand mosque plastering ceremony. This adobe building is considered to be one of the greatest achievements of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style. The plastering is done with banco, which is a mixture of sand, water, shea butter, rice bran and baobab powder … Read more
In an article titled “Students rebuild communities with sustainable bamboo architecture,” published in www.northbynorthwestern.com it is explained that after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck coastal Ecuador in 2016, the country suffered from severe damages and casualties. The use of heavy building materials was to blame for some of the casualties. Because of the damages from … Read more
A collective of architects, engineers and non-profits known as Hunnarshala have been rebuilding parts of India that have been affected by various disasters since 2001. They seek community participation and focus on traditional home designs.In the Banni grassland area the traditional circular wattle and daub buildings were replaced with more maintenance free rammed earth. The … Read more
The Nepali Times has published two articles recently about sustainable rebuilding efforts in Nepal. One, titled Quake was a learning experience for Nepal’s schools features two schools destroyed in the earthquake which are being rebuilt using rammed earth. “Rammed earth uses locally available mud and minimal cement to construct the walls of the schools, making … Read more
This small Earthship is built with recycled tires and glass bottles, cob, and has a green roof. It’s a 1-room cabin so the bedroom, kitchen, and dining room are all in one open space. It does not collect rainwater, produce food or treat grey and black water, as most Earthships do. The property has a … Read more
This is not really about natural building, but it is a very encouraging step toward regenerating our environment. A massive Great Green Wall is being built in Africa where people from 20 countries are joining forces to grow a thicket of drought-resistant trees across about 6,000 miles of land at the southern edge of the … Read more