The First Straw Bale House in Nepal

In 2018 Builders Without Borders and the Kevin Rohan Memorial Eco Foundation built the first straw bale house in Nepal. They collected loose straw and compacted it into bales using a steel mold and a farm jack.The bales were placed on a cemented stone foundation.Then the bales were held in place with external bamboo pins.A … Read more

Report on Earthbag House in Haiti

I just received this encouraging report from Roger Gietzen: Attached are some photos of the earthbag protect in Haiti. We are preparing now for the cement top beam and the roof. I’m happy with the speed of work and the fact the walls are completed, but there are some things I could do better next … Read more

Natural Building and a New Sense of the Earth

This nearly one hour video program features some of the luminaries of the natural building movement and is well worth watching. In addition to the many interviews are some luscious images of the process and result of fine natural craftsmanship. Meet Linda Smiley and Ianto Evans who pioneered cob building in the U.S. and who … Read more

The Carriage House

About 15 years ago I built the “Carriage House” using a prefabricated steel vault as a supporting structure for earthbags filled with scoria as insulation. It is a two story affair, with the lower one being a garage/shop and the upper one an office and storage space. I located a new 34′ X 16′ steel … Read more

Weaving Studio Plan

In the early 1970’s I was commissioned to design and build a small weaving studio on property located along the coast in Bolinas, California. The client was a weaving apprentice with my sister, who was living on rented property with her family. There was room on that property to place a small studio separated from the main house, and that is where she wanted me to build the studio. Obviously it would be foolish to place a permanent structure on rented property, so I suggested that I design it in such a way that it could fairly easily be dismantled and moved elsewhere if necessary. She liked the idea, so that is what I did.

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