General

No-Bake Martian Bricks

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“Should we ever get human settlers on Mars, they’ll likely have to construct their buildings at least partially out of Martian soil. That said, it would be nice if they didn’t have to bring along a bunch of kilns, in order to fire that soil into bricks. Well, according to a NASA-funded study conducted at … Read more

Standing Dead Timber

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Standing dead timber from bark beetle infestation.
Standing dead timber from bark beetle infestation.

Store-bought lumber is cost prohibitive for many people. One good alternative for natural builders is using standing dead trees – trees that have been killed by insects or fire and are still standing. For best results, select trees that have been dead for only a few years. With some practice you’ll learn to identify sound timber that has little or no rot. The dead trees can be used in the round as posts and beams or milled into lumber. One key advantage is the logs have already dried naturally and are ready for use.

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WWII Bunker Turned into Amazing Spartan Lodge

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“Twenty years ago when Ben Spee was looking for a “special” place to live, the Foundation Forteresse was planning to turn an old Dutch fort into a B&B. Spee moved in and spent the next 15 years helping turn a 19th-Century fortress – complete with moat – into a “special” place to spend the night.”

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Building a Natural Future with Joe Kennedy

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“Joseph Kennedy is an architectural designer, writer, artist and filmmaker who specializes in sustainable building, ecological design, and community development. After many years of teaching sustainable building techniques in Africa, Asia, Europe, United States and South America, he now teaches architecture at NewSchool of Architecture & Design. Joe is a co-founder of the organization Builders Without Borders, and international network of ecological builders who advocate the use of local, affordable materials in construction. Widely published in journals, proceedings and books, he also co-edited The Art of Natural Building, now in its greatly expanded second edition.”

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Earth Houses of Vilcabamba, Ecuador

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Earthbag dome home in Ecuador
Earthbag dome home in Ecuador

I heard about rammed earth and adobe houses of Vilcabamba in a tourism video of Ecuador. Vilcabamba is famous for its natural beauty, perfect climate and high percentage of centenarians. Intrigued, I did some searching around on the Internet and discovered the following natural homes of interest. This shows how easy it is to find sustainable homes built of natural materials in most parts of the world now.

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Bamboo Joint Lashing Techniques

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Very good overview of bamboo joinery. Most books are skimpy on bamboo joinery. The whole house doesn’t haven’t to be built out of bamboo. You could build the roof, interior walls and/or just use bamboo for decorative purposes such as wall panels or drop grid ceilings.

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