Five Green Homes in Taos, New Mexico

Ross and Kristin Ulibarri live in a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Valverde Commons, a senior co-housing community within walking distance of historic Taos Plaza in New Mexico. Its sculpted adobe-style exterior makes it look like a traditional Southwestern dwelling. The house has triple-glazed windows and air-tight insulation, so it rarely needs any heating beyond the … Read more

Can Wood be Used to Self-Shape Structures?

Wood is inherently imprecise. Its grain reverses and swirls. Trauma and disease manifest in scars and knots. Instead of viewing these natural tendencies as liabilities, Achim Menges, an architect and professor at the University of Stuttgart in Germany, sees them as wood’s greatest assets. Menges and his team at the Institute for Computational Design and … Read more

3D Printing with Bio-Based Materials

“People can’t find homes, they’re very expensive. We also have an aging population … so there’s less and less people who are electricians, plumbers, or builders,” says Habib Dagher, the executive director of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC). They recently unveiled what may be the world’s largest polymer 3D printer. … Read more

Living Earth Structures Works with Cob

Miguel Elliott, founder of Living Earth Structures in Petaluma, California. specializes in building with cob. Elliott has built over 250 cob structures around the world. His creations range from small ovens and benches to full-sized homes — each one is a unique work of art. “Nothing is more sustainable,” Elliott says. “If you take a … Read more

10 Sustainable Construction Materials

parametric-architecture.com has made a list of 10 sustainable building materials shown below. Due to its quick growth and low environmental impact, bamboo has become quite popular. It is incredibly flexible, adaptable, and resilient, and it may be employed in construction for both structural integrity and beautiful aesthetics. Straw bales are a material that is both renewable … Read more