I have periodically corresponded with Matthew McCue, who has been building an earthbag house in Colorado with his wife, Rainee. Most recently he provided this update on their project: Well, we didn’t beat the snow, but we got it covered last week! The bond beam certainly took some creative thinking, but we pulled it off! … Read more
The Keeng Seafood Restaurant complex consists of conference halls, private dining rooms, a kitchen, and a bamboo hall. The bamboo hall stands out with its lightly curved boat-shaped thatched roof, supported by bamboo structures resembling fanning palm plants. The restaurant’s owner required the architects to design an impressive building that would become the hallmark of … Read more
As a process that involves the layer-by-layer compression of gravel, sand, silt, and clay, rammed earth appears as horizontal stratification of earth tones. This can be controlled and explored through patterns, texture, pigmentation, and natural clay colors. The type of soil not only affects the mechanical properties of the rammed layers (the denser the material, … Read more
Straw bale houses are gaining popularity due to their ecological and sustainable nature. These unique homes are built using straw as either the primary structural element or insulation or both, providing a natural and renewable way of building. Straw bale homes offer exceptional insulation properties that help you keep your house warm during colder months … Read more
An area of about 200 acres In Huanggang City, China, has 13 wooden houses scattered around. This project is part of the Wiki World Co-Building Plan that is building a series of unique natural homes in nature. They designed and built 6 different types of cabins, combining location selection and exploration of living possibilities. It … Read more
I once used a prefabricated steel Quonset hut as a basis for building a combination garage/workshop/office/storage room. It worked very well for these purposes and was quite inexpensive. I called it my Carriage House and you can read more about it and even buy plans for it at dreamgreenhomes.com. So when I saw this article about … Read more