An Experimental Tiny Straw Home in New York

Near Hudson, N.Y., a Princeton University team has erected a cottage made almost entirely of straw, which they said is more sustainable than bricks or concrete. The cottage looks straight out of a children’s book but has some elegant, modern flourishes. Straw, which consists of the leftover stalks of cereal grains such as wheat and … Read more

Exploring Alternative Earthbag Construction Techniques

To reduce the reliance of earthbag construction on polypropylene, an environmentally detrimental material, and simultaneously address the urgent issue of fast fashion waste, this research explores the suitability of using earthbag construction to reduce postconsumer clothing waste in landfills. Three approaches to generating new earthbag geometries were explored using sewn domestic craft: alternate modular arrays, … Read more

A Discussion About Building Outside the Norm

Jeannette Kuo: Both of you have been questioning standardized materials that have dominated the industry and rethinking what we can do better in our means of production. Some of this involves revisiting more traditional ways of building that have been forgotten or are not as common these days. I’m curious about the challenges you’ve come … Read more

Shifting Toward Regenerative Design

Rocky Mountain Institute’s pathways to building with biomass, ASLA’s biodiversity priorities, and Architecture 2030’s resilience frameworks all point to nature-based, locally attuned solutions that strengthen communities while reducing carbon. At the same time, mindful MATERIALS highlights the data infrastructure needed to make these choices measurable and mainstream. Together, these findings signal a shift toward regenerative … Read more