Casa Las Tupas in Chile

Casa Las Tupas is located in northern Chile, an area defined by its arid climate, seasonal winds, and a landscape marked by ravines. The owner wanted to focus on low environmental impact, functional simplicity, and integration with the surrounding terrain. The house has a north–south axis which maximizes passive lighting and ventilation, with the east … Read more

Some Unusual Tiny Homes

Designed as low-carbon dwellings for people who are struggling to afford their own homes, the Tigín Tiny Homes in Ireland measure just 215 sf. They were created by Irish social enterprise Common Knowledge together with hemp producer Margent Farm and built from natural materials, including corrugated hemp cladding panels, cork insulation and natural rubber linoleum … Read more

A Mud & Bamboo Mountain Retreat in India

Filmmakers Raman Siddhartha and Manju Narayan returned to Dharamshala, India to build a sustainable homestay made of local mud, bamboo, and slate. To reach it, you have to leave your car behind and walk a stretch of narrow path.  Here’s how they created an off-grid haven rooted in tradition and community. “I’ve lived in London … Read more

Tim Kring’s Adobe Roundhouse

I recently got this email from Tim Kring: “Hi Kelly, I built this round structure loosely around the round house studio plan.  The base wall is stabilized adobe using approximately 8% Portland cement and earth bag tubes from Cal earth. Once the wall was above knee high I switched to traditional Adobe block .  I … Read more

Restoration of Warsaw’s Elizeum

One of Warsaw’s most interesting yet least known monuments, the Elizeum, is an underground building from the late 18th century. Conservation work is intended to restore the building to its former character and protect it from further degradation. Dehumidification is the first step, a process that must take place slowly and under strict control. Electric … Read more