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
Sand sourced from four different regions creates a “geological canvas” of colored and textured strata in the rammed-earth walls of this home in India. Named A House Born of Four Soils, the 790-square-metre (8,503 ft2} home is located on an open, arid site on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. The dwelling has a series of low-slung … 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
This experimental Wiltshire dwelling is a new home for a couple and is literally born from the landscape. It’s made with materials from the site using rammed-earth. For the owners, living inside its monolithic walls is a uniquely grounding experience. ‘I feel completely cocooned and safe,’ says the wife. ‘It’s so quiet, peaceful and warm,’ … Read more
In a world increasingly affected by natural disasters, climate change, and housing crises, a seemingly simple technique has been attracting attention for decades: building houses with earthbags, also known as Superadobe. It has already demonstrated resistance to earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires. Popularized by Iranian-American architect Nader Khalili in the 1980s, superadobe combines ancient earth-based construction … Read more
As sustainability assessment lead at Sheffield University’s Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures, Stuart Walker wanted to make sure his garden office had the lowest possible embodied carbon and low energy use once it was up and running. That meant the office would need to be very well insulated and made of materials with low carbon content. … Read more