Tasmanian builder Andrias McMahon has been working with hempcrete on two recent projects. “The process of structurally making a building with hempcrete is not very far from a conventional building,” he said. “You need to give it a minimum of six weeks to cure — that’s the primary cure. “The overall curing process takes about … Read more
Nearly two decades of testing and experimentation have gone into producing these solar food dehydrator plans. This food dryer is efficient and off-grid and it’s highly cost-effective for anyone wanting to preserve lots of food at home. The author led research teams at the Appropriate Technology Program at Appalachian State University. They conducted many experiments … Read more
Nepal’s Bayalpata Hospital won an international award in the Health Category at the Global Architecture Festival held in Amsterdam. The hospital in is a public-private partnership and is built almost entirely using rammed earth. ‘This is an example of when architecture provides more than a building. Although modest in scale and architectural expression is delivers … Read more
Biophilic design is a term which refers to the connection between our built environment and the living world around us. It speaks to our innate love of nature, our biosphere and connection with living systems. This tiny home has been designed to incorporate elements of biophilic design and natural building to create a home on … Read more
A collaboration between Company New Heroes and Krown Design, this biobased building was built using only materials that grow on Earth, including timber and mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms. First molds were created and then filled with a hemp waste substrate for the mycelium to grow on. It took four days for the mycelium … Read more
Sand is one of those natural materials that we take for granted; it seems so abundant that we could never run out of it. Both natural building and conventional building rely on sand for many aspects of construction. It is an essential component of adobe, cob, rammed earth, earthen plaster, stucco and concrete. It is … Read more