An Off-Cut Slab Lookout Tower in Sweden

Ulf Mejergren Architects and the Esperöd Art Team collaborated to create a lookout tower constructed from timber offcuts, which are typically classified as waste. Built near a riverbank in Sweden, and surrounded by trees, the structure blends in with the forest. The original timber were cut following a storm that felled several trees. The offcuts … Read more

A Round Straw-Clay Studio in Michigan

On a rural farm near Bear Lake, Michigan, builder Thomas Hirsch and architectural designer Ellis Wills Begley are embracing sustainable methods by incorporating materials like straw-clay insulation, black locust wood, and foamed glass aggregate. The studio they are building is in a circular form because round shapes are inherently natural and create a sense of … Read more

Morning Dove Rammed Earth Home Blends with Desert

Morning Dove is a model of 21st-century desert architecture set in Twentynine Palms, California. There are two structures, a main house, and a guest house, both featuring rammed earth construction. Soil from the property, which is mostly granite, was mixed with colored mortars. The mixture was then poured into forms and compacted by a tamper. … Read more