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
Michael Reynolds has been perfecting Earthships for 55 years, and now he says he has the model just right. “An Earthship is a building that encounters the phenomena of the planet to provide sustenance for its inhabitants,” Michael Reynolds said. It is heated by the sun and kept warm using thermal dynamics. The buildings collect … Read more
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
In Minto, Ontario, Chris Vander Hout and Christine Hoy live with their son on a 20-acre property “in harmony with nature.” The straw bale home features a green roof with drought-resistant vegetation, locally sourced materials, hot water heated by solar energy, a rain-harvesting system, a composting toilet, a central greenhouse, a dug well for their water … Read more
b-home Studio in Catskill, New York is a project that has been Matt Bua’s life’s work for close to two decades. The artist and his friends have cobbled together over 30 structures concentrated in a just one- or two-acre area of the 27 acres that he owns. He has dubbed it a “mythical repurposed city.” … Read more
Melote House is a fully off-grid safari lodge in South Africa, where sustainability and ecological sensitivity are at the fore. The curved design follows the contours of the hill it sits in. Everything taken out from the hill was put back in through the rammed earth walls. Green roofs return the land area occupied by … Read more