The Tabo Mud Monastery in India Has Endured Over 1,200 Years

The use of raw earth to build public and private structures has been practiced for thousands of years, with over 1.7 billion people across the globe living in earthen homes. But its integration in urban infrastructure and planning is something we ought to explore more. Raw earth with other materials left to dry and harden … Read more

Online Learning with the Earth Building Academy

The Earth Building Academy is offering a new three month round of online courses starting February 20th. This includes: 30+ hours of pre-recorded lectures and hands-on demonstrations, which you can implement directly on your own projects; weekly 60-90 minute live group calls for Q&A’s and consultancy; 2 live hands-on workshops via zoom where you can … Read more

Learn to Draw Your Home in 3D

Learn to Draw Your Home in 3D. Starting about Jan 6, this online course will be interwoven with short video snippets from previous live builds. Alosha Lynov, of BioVeda, will show the hows and whys of construction methodologies to get your home from paper to 3D software to physical reality. This will be a guided … Read more

Prefabricated Straw Panels

Tightly packed straw in prefabricated rectangular wooden wall frames are being assembled for housing in various places in Europe and Russia. Once the frames are assembled the walls can be lime-rendered. These houses perform well under resistance tests. Straw is available in abundance, is sustainable, has a low carbon footprint, can build strong and durable … Read more

Architectural Studio Uses Old Tiles as Sun Breaks

Luigi Rosselli’s architectural studio in Sydney, Australia was built out of reclaimed construction materials, mostly scrap tiles. The studio pays tribute to two of the most prominent architects of the twentieth century: Le Corbusier and Carlo Scarpa. The facade is designed to serve as a permanent sun break, like an architectural form of embroidery created … Read more

Matatara Cob House in New Zealand

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