Pete Bissonette has one of the about 650 homes Earth Sheltered Technology has built since it began in 1981. The company has houses in Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as in California and Alaska. “I loved every bit of building it,” Bissonette said. “I’m glad I made the decision to build it. I have no … Read more
JJ and Fred Milder were looking for their dream home- they’d spent most of their married life in Boston-, but now with their daughters in college, they were looking to relocate. They stumbled on a former cattle ranch in the high desert outside Sante Fe that was being sold as part of a conservation trust. … Read more
Ulf Mejergren Architects and the Esperöd Art Team collaborated to create a lookout tower constructed from timber offcuts, which are typically classified as waste. Built near a riverbank in Sweden, and surrounded by trees, the structure blends in with the forest. The original timber were cut following a storm that felled several trees. The offcuts … Read more
In Europe dry stone walls are an indelible part of the landscape. In the U.K. alone, there are an estimated 74,000 miles of stone walls, all built without mortar or rebar. Landscape designer Christa Moné in Forestville, California first became aware of these ancient structures when she was living and working in France. “I helped … Read more
The Fab Tree Hab is a grafted living tree structure intended to be shared by people and animals. It combines tree-grafting techniques with cross-laminated timber arch scaffolds. The goal is for a dwelling seamlessly integrated into its natural landscape and to replace harmful industrial materials with durable, bio-based alternatives. Foundation elements use almost no concrete … Read more
Amid the challenging times brought about by the Covid pandemic, Basanta Shrestha and his wife undertook a unique journey to build their dream house. “Building our house during the pandemic was a transformative experience. Our decision to use rammed earth and repurposed materials was a conscious effort to harmonize with nature and reduce our impact … Read more