The Homestead House is a conceptual design that takes the prefabricated steel arch building system ordinarily found on agricultural properties, and reorganizes it into a modular, off-grid residential structure. The system is already commercially available, already engineered for structural strength, and already fire-resistant. The arches and straight panels are formed from thin, recyclable steel sheets … Read more
This 18th-century barn, recently converted to a home, is set within approximately three acres of gardens. The barn itself has two-feet deep walls and is insulated with hemp and lime, providing natural insulation and breathability. The walls are clay-painted, enhancing air quality and creating an organic aesthetic. The property also boasts double-glazed timber windows, a … Read more
A new book published by Taschen, Sustainable Living: Homes for Our Time, by Philip Jodidio, showcases the quiet revolution in green residential architecture, from living roofs to rainwater harvesting. “Twenty or 30 years ago, sustainability was often treated as a specialist concern,” said Philip Jodidio. “Today it shapes almost every discussion about housing, from materials … Read more
Gale Marsland fell in love with Arizona’s desert climate and eventually built an off-grid home with her husband using sustainable design, passive solar principles, and traditional Southwestern building techniques. Living without utility power, they relied on photovoltaic solar panels, batteries, propane, and innovative cooling systems, gradually upgrading their technology as renewable energy became more efficient … Read more
“Our planet is partly made of boiling magma and we’re standing on its dry crust,” says London-based architect and stone evangelist Amin Taha. “It’s available almost everywhere and we’re not going to run out of it any time soon.” Strong, fireproof, beautiful, and low in embodied carbon, stone is an ancient building material, used for … Read more
Marc Neu, a passionate advocate for sustainable building, has built his own home in Luxembourg using natural materials such as wood, straw, clay, and lime. He says, “A straw bale like this, about 1.1 metres long, costs five or six euros. I managed to insulate my entire house, from the floor slab up to the … Read more