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A Light Straw Clay Workshop in Nicaragua

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Through a series of Natural Building Workshops in Nicaragua, South of San Juan del Sur, we studied several methods of using clay, sand and straw. In this video we display the technique of Light Straw Clay. At Centro Educativo Suelo Sano, we teach various sustainable living subjects, including permaculture, agroforestry, and natural building. We are … Read more

Houses That Can Save the World

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Many of our houses are defined by a pattern of consumption, from the raw materials to build them, to the fuel required to sustain them, and the waste generated by them. Despite an improvement in building energy efficiency, 2021 saw carbon emissions from building and construction hit an all-time high. Suppose that a house could … Read more

Catalan Vault Building in Barcelona

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Jordi Domenech is a second generation master mason from Catalunya specializing in the catalan vault method and has built these structures for over 50 years. He is one of the world’s leading builders and teachers on this technique, having constructed hundreds of works, and teaches workshops on traditional masonry techniques. The Catalan vault – also … Read more

Robot Builds with Adobe, Straw and Limestone

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The five men who created Terran Robotics believe their adobe construction process offers a viable and cost-effective solution to the soaring cost of owning a home. They make thick walls with a mixture of clay-rich mud, shredded straw and limestone slurry. Terra’s mission statement is: Turning dirt into affordable, sustainable, comfortable, beautiful homes. During an … Read more

William Urschel Demonstrates his Wall Building Machine

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Filmed in Valparaiso, Indiana in the late 1930’s, William Urschel demonstrates his “Wall Building” machine in this video. According to his patent application in 1944, this invention is a machine operable to mold a solidifiable material into the form of a strip and deposit the same as a course or layer in the formation of … Read more