Marialyce Pedersen’s house in Altadena, California was reduced to ash that spilled into the pool, turning the water a toxic black. But along one wall, a sculpted pink bench and outdoor kitchen looked only slightly worse for wear. Pedersen had built the bench and kitchen using cob. “That is going to be the start of … Read more
The Tiny Farm Fort was the first project of the Tiny Farm Lab, helmed by architect brothers Raghav and Ansh Kumar. 90 volunteers from over 18 countries arrived at a remote mountain forest in Rishikesh, India in 2021 to help build this house of cob. They say the project “was a consequence of a lifestyle … Read more
Architect and designer Jenna Yu’s home in Providence, Rhode Island features wooden siding on an addition connected to the original 19th-century home. The addition was built with panelized straw. The walls were plastered by her family and friends with earthen plaster, and the light fixtures were handcrafted by her mother and step-father. With two young … Read more
Miguel Elliott, founder of Living Earth Structures in Petaluma, California constructs beautiful, durable homes using cob. “Nothing is more sustainable,” Elliott said. “If you take a structure made of earthen, sun-dried material, protect it right with good sealer and a nice roof, it can last a long time. There are cob houses in England that … Read more
Several years ago Kirsten Dirksen’s family embarked on a project where they found a derelict (and affordable) country home located in a tiny, well-maintained castle hamlet 1 hour outside Barcelona, Spain. They began renovation with the help of a young architecture studio. Can a home remodel celebrate the layers of past, present, and future? Do … 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