Reclaimed or salvaged building materials can be sourced from buildings that have been deconstructed, demolished, or remodeled and from the excess construction material of building sites. Incorporating these reclaimed construction materials into projects is better for the planet and more financially responsible. Plus, recycled building materials often come with a unique history or one-of-a-kind appearance … Read more
You hear a lot about mass timber these days. Mass timber consists of engineered and compressed layers of young wood that are glued together for strength to create larger panels and beams. You can create larger beams and have more flexibility with mass timber. Depending on the engineering technique used, mass timber can be called … Read more
Shagun Singh was a corporate business head. She quit her job in 2015 and moved to Nainital in Uttarakhand. She was looking for a place where she can build a home with her own hands. The idea was to create a magical place where one can grow food, where there is energy, water, and to … Read more
A root cellar is an underground or partially underground structure used to preserve vegetables and protect them from frost through the winter. Root cellars are often constructed into hillsides and make use of the existing geography. Generally, they are constructed by digging a hole in the earth and reinforcing with wood, rock, cement, and/or other … Read more
From agile neighborhoods for veterans or the unhoused, to pocket hoods for Portlanders, the dozens of co-housing villages designed by Mark Lakeman are nationally recognized and in demand. “All my work, and all the permaculture, comes under an overall unifying heading. That is ReVillaging, you might say,” Mark explained, “With USA neighborhoods being mostly expressions … Read more
The new French environmental regulations position natural materials as a priority for a sustainable future in construction, in both housing and public buildings. Wood, straw, hemp, reed or bamboo, in combination with earth or stone for their high thermal inertia, offer virtuous alternatives to the use of cement. Straw-bale construction was developed in the 1880s … Read more