Just outside sprawling Phoenix, a car-free neighborhood built from scratch has gone up, the first one of its kind in the US. Modeled after walkable villages of yesteryear, Culdesac Tempe sits next to a light rail stop and has its own grocery store, restaurant, coffee shop, used clothing store, gym, and plenty of gathering spaces. … Read more
Daryl and Maria Cleary were living in a four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot home when they decided it was time to downsize. “It was too much house for two people,” Maria said. The Clearys knew they wanted their home to be energy-efficient. They found a house plan that they liked and purchased it, increasing the square footage, and … Read more
Pete Bissonette has one of the about 650 homes Earth Sheltered Technology has built since it began in 1981. The company has houses in Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as in California and Alaska. “I loved every bit of building it,” Bissonette said. “I’m glad I made the decision to build it. I have no … Read more
Tavs Jorgensen of the Centre for Print Research in England has created a method of extruding cob into brick shapes that can be stacked in interlocking patterns. The process involves pushing different samples of cob through 3D-printed extrusion molds known as dies. Cob is made by combining subsoil, water and fibrous materials such as straw. … Read more
A new book, Building the Future; From the Ground Up, follows rammed earth specialist Paul Geraets’ journey as he masters this sustainable construction method on more than 100 projects across New Zealand, while on a mission to show how more rammed earth houses could change the building industry for the better. “Not only are these … Read more
Pedro Pedrosa and his wife Sofia left city life over a decade ago to live in a mostly-abandoned farming village in Central Portugal. After creating their home from several small outbuildings, they continued to experiment with local building materials- cork, pine, lime, and slate- by transforming three stone storage sheds into “Nature Houses.” Their town, … Read more