When Dan Price returned to his home state of Oregon in 1990 he was determined to avoid mortgages or rent (he and his family had just finished care taking a mansion with a heating bill of $500/month). He found an unused meadow in Joseph, Oregon, and began renting it from his neighbors for $100/year (in … Read more
Shwasam, which denotes breath, is a mud structure that is breathable. This community center has a central main hall which is flanked by a semi-basement storeroom on one side and a small sitting and working space on the other. The passive design is well-lit and breezy during the day and cozy and comfortable at night. … Read more
Stuart Absalom and Philip Mawer’s home in Australia has wonderful views in every direction. The living area faces north, while the two bedrooms and bathrooms face south. The house follows the principles of passive solar in that region, including its northerly aspect, thermal mass through masonry walls, and windows thoughtfully placed for ventilation and cooling. … Read more
The Gulick-Rowell House is a two-story dwelling on the National Register of Historic Places constructed for Christian missionaries nearly 200 years ago in Waimea, Kaua‘i, Hawaii. The house is notable for its New England architecture and use of ōhiʻa lumber and coral limestone blocks cut from offshore reefs by Hawaiian workers, who were paid with … Read more
ReGrow Willow is an innovative hybrid material system that combines the tensile strength of willow and the compressive strength of earth for architectural applications. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology also uses digital fabrication processes and computational tools to create lightweight, mobile, and adaptable fabrication equipment. The project further seeks to present a potential remedy for … Read more
Located near Mumbai, India, this 557 sq. m (6,000 sq. ft.) farmhouse was entirely designed with environmental consciousness by integrating biophilic design, passive climatology principles and construction technology. It consists of a free-flowing living room, kitchen, dining room, three courtyards, glass bottle floor, pond, bedrooms, toilets and pantry. Most of the spaces are shaped according … Read more