A new book, Building the Future; From the Ground Up, follows rammed earth specialist Paul Geraets’ journey as he masters this sustainable construction method on more than 100 projects across New Zealand, while on a mission to show how more rammed earth houses could change the building industry for the better. “Not only are these … Read more
Pedro Pedrosa and his wife Sofia left city life over a decade ago to live in a mostly-abandoned farming village in Central Portugal. After creating their home from several small outbuildings, they continued to experiment with local building materials- cork, pine, lime, and slate- by transforming three stone storage sheds into “Nature Houses.” Their town, … Read more
This is not your typical completely buried, stone-encased, hand-dug cavern from the 19th century. This is a much simpler, quicker, and more modern method yet still effective. Things you’ll need: 3 steel cans with lids, a shovel, plywood, scrap wood, roofing screws, 6-inch deck screws, scrap insulation material, straw, sandbags, and lots of dirt. Step … Read more
Belgian studio Van Laethem Architecten used natural materials including hempcrete and cedar shingles to create this small garden studio for its staff. Located in the rear garden of the founder’s home, the building acts as both a workspace and a demonstration of the studio’s approach to using bio-based materials. The office is situated next to … Read more
I have become friends with David Stone, the inventor of Ferrock, a carbon negative thermal mass material that consumes both CO2 and the residue of steel manufacturing. You can find out more about this at his website carbon-bound.com or see a video about it at www.pbs.org David has shared with me some photos and description of … Read more
Some birds’ nests are cup-shaped, some have domes, others have been likened to apartment complexes. How do birds build their nurseries? Captain Cook collected a hummingbird nest during his trip to Brazil. That nest, just 6 cm (2.4 inches) high was in the fork of two branches, camouflaged with lichen, lined with fluffy seeds and … Read more