Michael Reynolds, the 77-year-old architect and founder of Biotecture Enterprise has been experimenting near Taos, New Mexico for more than 50 years with constructing Earthships, self-sufficient off-grid houses that harvest their own electricity, water and heat. “We build according to six principles,” Reynolds sums up his philosophy. “Passive thermal heating and cooling, power from the … Read more
Standard brick kilns use a diverse range of energy sources to fire bricks, all of which release noxious pollutants and particulate matter into the environment. Also the raw material for bricks comes from top soil and clay, depleting precious land resources, which could otherwise be used to grow food. Brick manufacturing innovators are exploring the … Read more
There is a wonderful thread at permies.com about historical root cellars, with lots of photos, videos and book references. It is well worth taking a look at.
These hempcrete blocks are a green building material made with a hemp-lime insulation mixture packed around a biocomposite structural frame. They can be stacked like bricks to build walls up to 30 feet high and they become the insulation and the structure of the building. All you need to do after the walls are built … Read more
Cochise County in Arizona allows people to build their own homes at a reduced cost of building permits with fewer inspections as long as the property’s zoning designation is at a minimum RU-4, one home per four acres. Program participants must comply with all Cochise County Building Safety Code and zoning requirements. It is intended … Read more
In this video Daniel Sage tells us about building his home with hyper-adobe in Taos, New Mexico. You can watch the video at www.youtube.com