Dry-stone wallers perform an ancient, essential craft that has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years. From graphic designers to yoga instructors, more and more people are changing careers to learn the skill. In France, artisans now have access to a training school with a state-certified diploma, and public officials are keen to employ them for departmental … Read more
New Zealand couple James and Leonie have found a way to thrive in a sustainable tiny home and food forest without breaking the bank. Before building their tiny house the couple lived in a van while traveling, followed by a house truck, and later, a small studio. It was here that they started drafting their … Read more
Ronald Rael’s Adobe Oasis was created for the exhibition Desert X and rises from California’s Coachella Valley as a cluster of ribbed, earthen passageways, bridging indigenous construction practices with digital fabrication. Layered in rhythmic ribbons of red adobe, the walls mimic the texture of the surrounding palm trees. This work is both land art and … Read more
About 40 years ago, William bought 1.25 acres for $6000 on the Big Island of Hawaii and began growing his own food and building his own shelters. He was inspired to leave his native Wisconsin for a place where it would be easier to live off the land. Today he lives with only solar power … Read more
In Minto, Ontario, Chris Vander Hout and Christine Hoy live with their son on a 20-acre property “in harmony with nature.” The straw bale home features a green roof with drought-resistant vegetation, locally sourced materials, hot water heated by solar energy, a rain-harvesting system, a composting toilet, a central greenhouse, a dug well for their water … Read more
Melote House is a fully off-grid safari lodge in South Africa, where sustainability and ecological sensitivity are at the fore. The curved design follows the contours of the hill it sits in. Everything taken out from the hill was put back in through the rammed earth walls. Green roofs return the land area occupied by … Read more