Baltimore-based nonprofit Second Chance salvages unwanted building materials from single-family homes and other buildings. Founded in 2001, Second Chance “provides people, materials, and the environment with a second chance.” The social enterprise deconstructs old buildings, salvages usable materials and uses the revenue generated to provide job training and workforce development for people with various employment … Read more
A vibrant multipurpose cultural residential community, designed by ZAV architects as part of a broader initiative on Iran’s Hormuz Island, was built with CalEarth trained Superadobe specialists. Hormuz is a historic port in the strategic strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf that controls the shipment of petroleum from the middle east. A series of … Read more
A co-housing development using sustainable tiny buildings and permaculture principles is happening in Golden Bay, New Zealand. Those behind the project say that 18 future residents have already provided loans between $50-100,000 each, allowing them to reserve a home and land. Homeowners would own the house title and the land directly beneath it, as well … Read more
Here is another possible solution to housing with underground dome technology that might be more suitable in some humid, tropical locations where earthbag domes could be problematic. Affordable housing that is also resilient in natural disasters is desperately needed in many parts of the world. WORTHYdomes has designed sustainable dome structures that are also transportable … Read more
USA Today just featured this article titled Homes made of sandbags, barbed wire could offer cheaper, safer shelter as climate crisis worsens. Thousands of people in Puerto Rico are still living under blue tarps three years after Hurricane Maria struck the island, and more than 30,000 families have asked the government for assistance after the … Read more
This video shows exactly how the traditional yurts of the Shahsavan nomads in Iran are built. The whole structure is pre-tensioned before the felted wool cover is placed over the framework, which gives the yurt the ability to withstand the gales that blow across their high mountain landscape. The Shahsavan are some of the world’s … Read more