Andrew and Margo Hanson-Pierre from Clover Bee Farm in Schafer, Minnesota are building a solar greenhouse, which has a heat sink, something that will store the heat from the sun during the day and release that heat at night. The floor is made of 4-foot-deep river rock, but people also use large barrels of water … Read more
Freedom Cove is a rare and very special place. It’s a man-made floating island that acts as a homestead, an art installation, and a home to Catherine and Wayne in Tofino, BC, Canada. The project started with a small float home that was built using wood that had washed ashore after a storm, and since … Read more
Nepal’s Bayalpata Hospital won an international award in the Health Category at the Global Architecture Festival held in Amsterdam. The hospital in is a public-private partnership and is built almost entirely using rammed earth. ‘This is an example of when architecture provides more than a building. Although modest in scale and architectural expression is delivers … Read more
Sasha and John Rabin’s tiny natural home is completely off the grid and has been constructed using a variety of earthen building techniques, including cob, wattle and daub and earthbags. This beautiful earthen home is one of many such dwellings located at the Quail Springs permaculture community in California, which is home to educators, farmers, … 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
In 2006 I was invited to lecture at the King’s University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was a very memorable experience, lasting a couple of weeks. I just came across the following essay that I wrote at that time reflecting some of my observations sparked by that trip. I have been in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia … Read more