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
After purchasing a ruin in a hilltop hamlet in the Spanish Pyrenees, Emmanuel Pauwels created a home in close harmony with the elements by first spending an entire year observing the patterns of the wind, sun, and rain. Today, the sun provides for passive heating of the home via south-facing windows, but also an antechamber … Read more
The University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center has produced a prototype 3D printed house made entirely of bio-based materials. The 600-sq.-ft. structure is composed of wood fibers and what the Composites Center described as bio-resins, making the building fully recyclable. All the components of the house—roof, walls, and floors—were printed on what the … Read more
Climate change has spurred renewed interest in the ancient technique of rammed earth. Mud and clay have always been an abundantly available way to build walls. More than two billion people across some 150 countries live in buildings made of earth. “A kilo of cement emits a kilo of CO2. Whereas a kilo of earth … Read more
Bioarchitecture draws on principles from nature to help solve technological questions and address global challenges. Take desert organisms, for example. How do they survive and thrive under extreme conditions? One such desert species is the Saharan silver ant, named for its shiny mirror-like body. Its reflective body reflects and dissipates heat. It’s an adaptation we … Read more