Simon Baker sold his one-bed flat in London to buy a derelict cow shed in North Wales. He put all his savings into buying the land, which was a huge gamble as the shed didn’t have any planning permissions. Simon said, “When I saw the shed I fell in love with it – it was … Read more
Sim Van der Ryn, a Dutch-born architect sometimes called “the father of green architecture,” died. He was 89. Mr. Van der Ryn taught architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1961 to 1995, a span interrupted by a four-year stint in the 1970s as Gov. Jerry Brown’s state architect. Early on Sim was swept … Read more
I was interviewed by Morgan Caraway of sustainablelifeschool.com awhile ago, and he has just released this video on www.youtube.com Our conversation is fairly lengthy and it reveals as much about Morgan as it does me. What he says about this on youtube is: This is an extended interview with Kelly Hart of: hartworks.com earthbagbuilding.com naturalbuildingblog.com … Read more
A centuries-old rare dilapidated fish house has been restored. The stone building is the only surviving structure of its type in Cumbria, UK. The farming officer for Lake District National Park, said restoring the fish house “ensures an iconic piece of the landscape remains for years to come”. It was rebuilt with the help of … Read more
Phil Austin, now 83, has lived in his 35ft high lighthouse on the banks of the Bridgewater Canal in Greater Manchester for 20 years. He enjoys watching vessels from his lantern room as they navigate the waterway below him. Phil says, “It’s still judged as a landmark and I’m very proud of it. The views … Read more
Pedro Pedrosa and his wife Sofia left city life over a decade ago to live in a mostly-abandoned farming village in Central Portugal. After creating their home from several small outbuildings, they continued to experiment with local building materials- cork, pine, lime, and slate- by transforming three stone storage sheds into “Nature Houses.” Their town, … Read more