Hobbitowa, Krzywcza, Poland This Hobbit house used roundwood from local willow trees, clay for the interior plaster, lime for the exterior plaster, and cob stones for the infrastructure. The off-grid home also has its own water well, domestic sewage works, and photovoltaic panels for electricity. Inside, the house has a large open-plan living room with … Read more
Jessica Martin designed a rammed-earth structure in the Arizona desert that is meant as a refuge for humans as well as for plants and animals. For her thesis project at the School of Architecture she created “Cinders” using three varieties of the local soil. “Cinders is a homage to the immersive nature of living openly … Read more
Chiangmai Life Architects has built a new library at the Panyaden International School in Thailand. The library features a complex concentric design with walls that are made up of adobe bricks and bamboo used for the roof, which is topped by thatching. An acrylic cupola is situated at a height of almost 9 m (roughly … Read more
Deep in Ancares mountains of Spain are some centuries-old houses that look straight out of a fairy tale but are cleverly suited to the harsh realities of this remote region. Known as pallozas, the round huts are made of stone and topped with a teardrop-shaped roof of rye straw. There are more than 200 scattered … Read more
Retired smoke jumper and self-taught home builder Todd Jinkins of Boise, Idaho is currently building his first rammed earth home. It’s also the fourth home he’s built in the past 22 years. “Since the city wasn’t familiar with rammed earth, because this is the first one, it took me a while to get all the … Read more
Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction. It’s flexible, strong and cheaper than metal alternatives that are now more commonly used around the world. In Hong Kong, skilled armies of scaffolders can erect enough bamboo to engulf a building in a … Read more