Verena Maeder is an earth building artisan with 32 years experience constructing earth buildings. She first fell in love with natural building as a teenager, but because of the lack of formal training opportunities in this field she decided to pursue an education in architecture as well as building biology and ecology. In 2002 she … Read more
When considering where to put your tiny house, buying land tailored to your needs is one option. Take time to research the zoning and building regulations in the area you’re interested in, as they can impact your ability to construct or place your tiny home on the property. With the popularity of tiny homes, several … Read more
The city of Jaisalmer is in the desert of Rajasthan, India, near the Pakistan border. Jaisalmer Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where thousands of people live and hundreds of thousands of tourists visit each year. King Rawal Jaisal built the fabled fort in 1156. With exterior walls that span some 1,500 feet, the … Read more
The Luum Temple in Tulum, Mexico is a pioneering example of what happens when traditional wisdom meets modern engineering. It is designed to stand against hurricane winds and significant seismic forces. The structural system has five intersecting hyperbolic paraboloids made of bamboo arches and split bamboo beams. Due to bamboo’s lightweight nature, particular attention must … Read more
Daniel and Katherine Ray first came across cob houses when they were in college. “We stumbled across a photo of a cob house in Wales and we got really interested, so we started collecting lots of pictures of other people’s cob houses. It was a pot-shot dream that we really wanted to do,” Ray said. … Read more
Freya’s House is an off-grid green building that showcases multiple natural building techniques from straw bale, cob, and rammed earth walls, to earthen floors, a green roof, and reclaimed, salvaged and locally sourced materials. It uses solar power for electricity, a legal composting toilet, and on-site greywater filtration. The house is located at O.U.R Ecovillage … Read more