A split-level mud brick house and a sprawling garden full of Australian native plants is featured here. There is an orchard, hothouse, two dams, two large chicken pens and an outdoor pizza oven. The original building was made of mud bricks, but its poorly made mud bricks had to be replaced. The owners removed the … Read more
The cold desert region of Ladakh, India is characterized by harsh winters, minimal rainfall, and sparse vegetation. The residents have been forced to adapt to the environment, optimizing the limited available resources for sustenance. At an altitude of 3,500 meters (11,500 ft.) and over 300 sunny days per year, it is well positioned for passive … 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
Natalie Musielski, a student in the Architecture program at Ferris State University in Michigan, imagined “Happy Walls,” a cooperative apartment complex for graduate students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks that leverages sustainable design principles and the psychological effects of light to counteract the negative mental health impacts of the region’s unusual seasonal light cycles. … Read more