Cob building is a method in which clay, sand, and plant fibers (usually straw) are mixed manually and molded directly in place. Unlike bricks, blocks, or concrete walls, cob doesn’t use forms, doesn’t require molding and allows for the creation of curved walls, niches, arches, built-in benches, round windows, and sculpted details. There are cob … Read more
Rammed Earth House in England is a residence designed by Tuckey Design Studio, that combines renovated brick buildings with new rammed earth structures, using the clay soil on the site. The client wanted some run-down buildings on site to be demolished—but rather than this rubble being wasted, they used it as the aggregate for the … Read more
Architects from the Faculty of Architecture at Brno University of Technology in the Czech Republic, together with the municipality and volunteers, have built an unconventional double-sided columbarium (a structure designed to hold the cremated remains of the deceased) at a local cemetery. The columbarium was created during summer schools and workshops using traditional rammed earth. … Read more
This article reviews several common alternative building materials, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses. Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is a panel system where each panel consists of multiple timber boards glued together in a perpendicular pattern. The result is a structural product that doesn’t bend and is very strong, rather like plywood. The panels are large, … Read more
Deep in the Andes mountains of Columbia, Julio Leon is building a three-room house made mostly out of earth. To make the walls, Leon shovels damp earth in between two wooden panels. Then, he climbs on top of the 3-foot-tall pile and pounds it repeatedly with a wooden ram, turning his mound into a sturdy … Read more
On a rural property on the slopes of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, Morgan Bierschenk and his team have been refining a durable, mineral-like material to build sturdy dome homes with a particular matte-ceramic finish. They have called their modular dome homes Geoships. Geoships are made of “bioceramic.” Used up until recently on high-end consumer electronic … Read more