Lego-Like Hempcrete Blocks

These hempcrete blocks are a green building material made with a hemp-lime insulation mixture packed around a biocomposite structural frame. They can be stacked like bricks to build walls up to 30 feet high and they become the insulation and the structure of the building. All you need to do after the walls are built … Read more

A Unique Restoration Project in France

French cooperative Anatomies D’Architecture completed this restoration of a traditional brick house in Normandy. The project was defined by ambitious construction goals: 0% concrete, 0% plastic, and 100% natural materials sourced on-site within less than 100 km radius. The architects brought their vision to life by collaborating with farmers, loggers, sawmills, quarrymen, masons, historians, researchers, apprentices, … Read more

Regenerative Architecture on Sumu Island

On the island of Sumu Yakushima, Japan, designer Tsukasa Ono turned to regenerative architecture as his primary concept. An experimental housing cooperative jointly created by eight owners, this project in the woods was adapted to fit the surrounding landscape without cutting down large trees or leveling the ground; they raised the wooden buildings off from … Read more

Mustardseed Earthbag School in Uganda

Localworks has created the Mustardseed Junior School in Uganda with organically shaped classrooms built from natural and locally sourced materials.  The earthbag walls are filled with soil from the site. The 1,146-square-meter (12,335 sf) building is used as both a kindergarten and primary school for local children. No two rooms are the same, which means … Read more

Mama Linda Ecolodge in Flores, Indonesia

Mama Linda Ecolodge was built by the Indonesian company bambuso.id in the heart of Flores. Various forms of bamboo architecture were implemented in the construction, including space trusses using round bamboo and laminated bamboo beams. Some of the joints require masterly skill made possible by using a Balinese bamboo knife. They used the Dendrocalamus asper … Read more

The Palletable Cobin

Miguel Elliott has been on a journey to develop a building technique that is super affordable, quick to build, well insulated, and natural. What he has come up with is the “Palletable Cobin.” Back in 2010 Miguel was living at a retreat center in northern California and someone had built a shed framed entirely with … Read more