A small home in Kenya has successfully used insulation panels grown from farm byproducts and fungal mycelium. A homeowner invested roughly 208 US dollars into these innovative mycelium building panels. This shows that affordable wall alternatives are achievable without relying on imported plastics or synthetic foams. Lightweight mycelium building panels can also reduce the number … Read more
Ebiobambu is a School of Bioarchitecture and Experimental Research and Technology Center for Bamboo in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro. They developed an approach that integrates agroforestry cultivation, research on construction techniques, and training of specialized labor. The main species used in Ebiobambu’s projects is Guadua bamboo. one of the best structural bamboos … Read more
In a world increasingly affected by natural disasters, climate change, and housing crises, a seemingly simple technique has been attracting attention for decades: building houses with earthbags, also known as Superadobe. It has already demonstrated resistance to earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires. Popularized by Iranian-American architect Nader Khalili in the 1980s, superadobe combines ancient earth-based construction … Read more
Mark Young has been living a self-sufficient lifestyle on a remote off-grid island in British Columbia for the past 21 years. He has built 9 experimental buildings on his 20-acre property using local and natural materials like wood, stone and cob, including: a cabin for himself, utility buildings for his solar power systems, a sauna … Read more
At a recent symposium, Bakar Labs for Energy and Materials convened experts from industry, academia and government to discuss the true carbon cost of construction. A common thread throughout the symposium was that humanity can rise to the challenge of creating sustainable buildings. Bruce King — founder of BuildWell.site, a nonprofit drawing awareness to … Read more
This project was commissioned by a Waldorf school in Nairobi. The buildings needed to be constructed quickly, cost-effectively (achieving a cost of $250/m² or $23/sf), and with a temporary lifespan, as the plot lease was set to expire in 10 years. The concept was to create a small village for children nestled within the woods, … Read more