Jeannette Kuo: Both of you have been questioning standardized materials that have dominated the industry and rethinking what we can do better in our means of production. Some of this involves revisiting more traditional ways of building that have been forgotten or are not as common these days. I’m curious about the challenges you’ve come … Read more
Once dismissed as purely vernacular, rammed earth is now considered a high-performance building material, capable of meeting contemporary structural demands while addressing urgent imperatives of climate resilience, sustainability, and human well-being. This transition is driven by advancements in geotechnical engineering and refinements in stabilization. At its essence, rammed earth is the compaction of a calibrated … Read more
This is a full tour of a cozy cob micro cabin built by Marie France Roy, a professional snowboarder from Canada. She wanted to build a home with natural and reclaimed materials so the main floor is built with cob – a mix of sand, clay, and straw – and the upper floor is built … Read more
A small home in Kenya has successfully used insulation panels grown from farm byproducts and fungal mycelium. A homeowner invested roughly 208 US dollars into these innovative mycelium building panels. This shows that affordable wall alternatives are achievable without relying on imported plastics or synthetic foams. Lightweight mycelium building panels can also reduce the number … Read more
Ebiobambu is a School of Bioarchitecture and Experimental Research and Technology Center for Bamboo in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro. They developed an approach that integrates agroforestry cultivation, research on construction techniques, and training of specialized labor. The main species used in Ebiobambu’s projects is Guadua bamboo. one of the best structural bamboos … Read more
There has been a revival of the age-old craft of thatched roofs in contemporary buildings across the globe. Used to create thick, insulating shelters, a thatched roof is an ancient roofing method achieved by layering bundles of dried vegetation such as reeds. The technique is often associated with old, rustic cottages in Europe, but it … Read more