Daryl and Maria Cleary were living in a four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot home when they decided it was time to downsize. “It was too much house for two people,” Maria said. The Clearys knew they wanted their home to be energy-efficient. They found a house plan that they liked and purchased it, increasing the square footage, and … Read more
Pete Bissonette has one of the about 650 homes Earth Sheltered Technology has built since it began in 1981. The company has houses in Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as in California and Alaska. “I loved every bit of building it,” Bissonette said. “I’m glad I made the decision to build it. I have no … Read more
Tavs Jorgensen of the Centre for Print Research in England has created a method of extruding cob into brick shapes that can be stacked in interlocking patterns. The process involves pushing different samples of cob through 3D-printed extrusion molds known as dies. Cob is made by combining subsoil, water and fibrous materials such as straw. … Read more
Some birds’ nests are cup-shaped, some have domes, others have been likened to apartment complexes. How do birds build their nurseries? Captain Cook collected a hummingbird nest during his trip to Brazil. That nest, just 6 cm (2.4 inches) high was in the fork of two branches, camouflaged with lichen, lined with fluffy seeds and … Read more
After discovering an abandoned World War II bunker while on a hike in northern Norway, Henrik Lande Andersen spent two years transforming this former German lookout into an overnight refuge open to all. Over the course of two years, Henrik made the hike from town – the only way to access the site – carrying … Read more
Morning Dove is a model of 21st-century desert architecture set in Twentynine Palms, California. There are two structures, a main house, and a guest house, both featuring rammed earth construction. Soil from the property, which is mostly granite, was mixed with colored mortars. The mixture was then poured into forms and compacted by a tamper. … Read more