I am pleased to announce that our blog is back online after being suspended for the last week. It took that long for the blog to be moved to its new server, where is should reside indefinitely. Thank you for your patience!
In 2020, George Dunnett bought his first home, an abandoned stone building which was filled with old car parts and tools. Over the next year he had the building renovated into a nice tiny cottage which he now lives in and is quite pleased with. You can watch the video at www.youtube.com
Adaptive reuse fits the sustainability mantra of the “three Rs,” (reduce, reuse, recycle) but all too often we overlook the green side of architectural conservation. Whether it’s a Gothic Revival church, a modernist Centennial project, or a contemporary design in glass and steel, a completed structure has a huge carbon footprint. Demolishing an existing building, … Read more
On 50 scenic acres in Carson, New Mexico, sits the Veterans Off-Grid (VOG) property — a nonprofit organization founded by Ryan Timmermans, whose mission is to restore a sense of purpose, community, sustainability, and peace to veterans in need. The story of VOG began in 2017 when Timmermans realized his vision and bought the acreage … Read more
Cob, a mixture of subsoil and straw, was historically used in England and there are examples of cob buildings over 500 years old. Despite renewed interest, cob construction remains the niche activity of a few enthusiasts. There are no standards for making and using cob, and insulation needs to be added to the walls in … Read more
It took 2 years and 3.5 million pounds of dirt just to create the two-foot-thick rammed-earth walls of this 6,000-square-foot home designed by Lake Flato Architects for Ashlyn and Dan Perry outside of Marfa, Texas. “Part of the reason that rammed earth was the chosen construction method was due to the thermodynamic properties. Because of … Read more