This 385-square meter (4,144 sf) four-bedroom residence, located on the New Zealand North Island settlement of Ūpokongaro, was constructed with cob. Known as the Matatara Cob House, it took several years to build to New Zealand Earth Building Standards – with its original owners completing the process by hand in 2012. An estimated 80-tons of … Read more
3ndless 3arth 3covillage describes itself as “a regenerative community focused on land restoration, permaculture, natural building, holistic health, and eco-conscious education.” Co-founder and secretary, Samantha Iacobello explains that their main goal is to educate people—especially children and young adults—in these skills and eventually become a model of how communities can become more resilient, eco-conscious, and … Read more
On an empty lot next door to a popular craft brewery, the Blockhouse team wanted to build housing that would fit a buzzing Spokane (WA) neighborhood. They carefully placed micro and skinny units around some old-growth trees to create a pocket neighborhood with interior gathering spaces for the community, leaving just a few parking spaces … Read more
The Australian government has provided an excellent guide to achieving passive solar heating in your home that is available online at www.yourhome.gov.au Just be aware that because they are in the southern hemisphere they orient solar exposure to the north rather than to the south, as in the northern hemisphere. This guide covers these topics: … Read more
Set in an old quarry that was replanted 80 years ago with hardwoods and pines, Woodsmoke was commissioned in the early 1990s. Designed by architect Paul Leech, whose other design work spans decades of environmentally-sensitive projects, the steeply-pitched building has 2,300 sq ft within, with some dramatically shaped rooms. Its rooms are spread over five … Read more
The Hjertefølgers, a Norwegian family of six, has installed a 25-feet-high geodesic glass dome over a cob house. The three story house is entirely built from sand, straw and clay, and without being protected this way it would be very thermally inefficient. The single pane glass dome was built by Solardome. The solar geodesic dome … Read more