A Bio-Architecture Primer with Scott Howard

Are you looking to build a natural structure in the near future? Consider joining Scott Howard at earthenhand.com for the Bioarchitecture Primer educational course! It is intended to prepare owner-builders to design radically efficient and beautiful structures that combine natural building and bioarchitecture (architecture that supports your life force energy). This will be a fun … Read more

Material Carbon Emissions from New Homes

I just got this email from Chris Magwood, of the the Endeavour Centre in Canada, that I would like to share with you. Builders for Climate Action has recently released two major studies examining material carbon emissions from as-built new homes. The studies include large samples, with 34 homes in Nelson, BC and 503 homes … Read more

Straw Bale Building in Pennsylvania

Diane Ferguson, a former environmental health professor, has always dreamed of building a house made of natural materials. Her ideal home has about 650 straw bales stacked together with bamboo stakes driven through them. The straw is then plastered on the interior with an earthen plaster and the exterior with limestone plaster. Diane worked with … Read more

The Institute of Nomadic Architecture

The Institute of Nomadic Architecture is a rich source of information on the traditional architecture of nomadic peoples. They have been researching nomadic architecture for over fifteen years and have over 40,000 images and 500 hours of video clips, as well as detailed notes from all around the world. They record the structure itself, and … Read more

Rustic Underground Homes in France

René Douma and his mom Marianne began building houses into the hillside on the family farm without any experience in underground construction. Relying on books and online forums, they excavated a knoll behind their farmhouse and used 45 acacia trees from the property to shore up the walls and roof. After a waterproofing layer of … Read more