Architect Vinu Daniel of Wallmakers is focused primarily on sustainability. Using mainly mud blocks, rammed earth and burnt bricks he designs spaces in their raw, natural state. He met the legendary Laurie Baker while studying architecture. “Baker made me understand that a building can co-exist with nature and be built with minimal wastage.” For awhile … Read more
Freedom Cove is a rare and very special place. It’s a man-made floating island that acts as a homestead, an art installation, and a home to Catherine and Wayne in Tofino, BC, Canada. The project started with a small float home that was built using wood that had washed ashore after a storm, and since … Read more
When Kate Simonen, a professor who leads the Carbon Leadership Forum at the University of Washington, was a young architect experimenting with alternative approaches to conventional concrete. She called up her structural engineer on an educational-building project and asked if they could swap out some of the cement in their mix for fly ash. He … Read more
Alosha Lynov established the Bio Veda Academy as a way to disseminate his knowledge about building what he calls a Living Bio Shelter Organism, along with holistic water treatment and cooperative eco-villages. Alosha studied Superadobe construction at CalEarth Institute in California, and what he teaches is somewhat based on their approach. He has combined Superadobe … Read more
Researchers at southern Ben-Gurion University in Israel have developed some new formulations of hempcrete that are less energy intensive to make. Hempcrete is usually made with hemp hurds and lime, which requires a fair amount to heat to produce. The researchers have found that they can replace some of the lime with natural minerals (such … Read more
In a backyard in Temple, Texas sits a playhouse for the homeowner’s grandchildren. “You mix play sand and straw together,” says builder Tracy McLoud. “You just take the lumps of cob and actually sculpt the structure without any formwork,” she adds. “It’s almost an exact replica of the miniature model that we built.” The cob … Read more