The Versatility and Value of Quonset Huts

I once used a prefabricated steel Quonset hut as a basis for building a combination garage/workshop/office/storage room. It worked very well for these purposes and was quite inexpensive.  I called it my Carriage House and you can read more about it and even buy plans for it at dreamgreenhomes.com. So when I saw this article about … Read more

Thai Coffee Shop is Open to the Natural Surroundings

Surrounded by lush paddy fields and mountain peaks Chiang Mai, is a coffee shop that resembles a rice barn, drawing on northern Thai vernacular architecture. Nature plays a prominent role as the ever-changing seasons and climate shape its appearance. Visitors are invited to dine in the open-air in the space tucked between its two wooden … Read more

Retiree Builds Off-Grid Tower House in the Andes

Wendy Green spent most of her life in suburban New Jersey spending long days as a yoga teacher, so when she turned 50, she sold her house and used the proceeds to buy remote land in the Andes. In her new homestead, she built an all-wood, tall and narrow, home, installed solar, a gravity-fed water … Read more

Pushing the Structural Boundaries with Bamboo

The Luum Temple in Tulum, Mexico is a pioneering example of what happens when traditional wisdom meets modern engineering. It is designed to stand against hurricane winds and significant seismic forces. The structural system has five intersecting hyperbolic paraboloids made of bamboo arches and split bamboo beams. Due to bamboo’s lightweight nature, particular attention must … Read more

Ancient Underground Cities in Turkey

Turkey has long been known for its labyrinth of underground cities, and archaeologists now believe that they may have discovered the largest one yet. Sarayini was once used as a shelter by local Christians who were persecuted by the Roman empire and local Muslim leaders and needed to protect themselves from raids. The 215,000-square-foot ancient … Read more

Emerging Ecologies: Architecture and the Rise of Environmentalism

Billed as the “first major museum exhibition to survey the relationship between architecture and the environmental movement in the United States,” Emerging Ecologies: Architecture and the Rise of Environmentalism presents drawings, models, and other artifacts that cover roughly six decades: from the mid-1930s to the mid-1990s. The heart of the exhibition at the Museum of … Read more