I’m standing on the Community Rebuilds campus. Today they’re hosting events for the Natural Building Conference, a gathering of those interested in construction using materials like straw bale, soil and lime mortar… which is being mixed now. Moab has a housing problem… like other tourist-orientated towns in the region. Amanda Jane Albert is an instructor … Read more
Dig it! Building Bound to the Ground is a new publication written by Dutch architect Bjarne Mastenbroek, with photos by Iwan Baan. The book looks at over 500 case studies, from African churches chiselled in rock, to underground Chinese housing and overgrown Parisian housing. Its aim is to highlight the eco-conscious practices and green infrastructures … Read more
The Plastic Flamingo is a social enterprise that collects and transforms plastics in the Philippines into better products. Their aim is to fight the country’s plastic waste crisis — the philippines is the third-biggest polluter in the world — by turning bottles, soft plastics, etc. into planks that can be used as a building material. … Read more
Biobased Creations CEO Lucas De Man believes that natural building materials such as timber, hemp, straw and mycelium could completely replace polluting, non-renewable materials such as steel, plasterboard and cement. Buildings can be made exclusively from plant-based products plus natural mineral materials such as earth and lime. An all-natural show home built at this year’s … Read more
This 385-square meter (4,144 sf) four-bedroom residence, located on the New Zealand North Island settlement of Ūpokongaro, was constructed with cob. Known as the Matatara Cob House, it took several years to build to New Zealand Earth Building Standards – with its original owners completing the process by hand in 2012. An estimated 80-tons of … Read more
3ndless 3arth 3covillage describes itself as “a regenerative community focused on land restoration, permaculture, natural building, holistic health, and eco-conscious education.” Co-founder and secretary, Samantha Iacobello explains that their main goal is to educate people—especially children and young adults—in these skills and eventually become a model of how communities can become more resilient, eco-conscious, and … Read more