The ‘The Hill’ in Middleton Springs, Vermont is fantasy architecture on 12 lovely green acres. This unique 1100 sq. ft. home was a design/build project completed in 2018. This earth-sheltered, Hobbit-like home is filled with antiques and special touches that will transport you away. It combines old-world charm with modern conveniences. The cottage has a … Read more
The following email from Andrew explains an idea he has for a way to arrange earthbags into a fairly rigid, reinforced configuration. It seems interesting enough for me to post here and solicit comments from you dear readers. What do you think about this concept? Having read the article you posted on Machu Picchu, I … Read more
I found this half hour video both encouraging and inspiring. The incredible story of how degraded gorse-infested farmland has been regenerated back into beautiful New Zealand native forest over the course of 30 years. This documentary is about Hinewai Nature Reserve, on New Zealand’s Banks Peninsula, and its kaitiaki/manager of 30 years, botanist Hugh Wilson. … Read more
The ancient city of Machu Picchu, perched among the peaks of southern Peru, flourished for just over a hundred years between the mid-15th and mid-16th centuries. It is famous for its intricate, masterful stone masonry. But often invisible to the untrained eye is masterful drainage infrastructure and slope stabilization. Ruth Wright, a historian, travel writer, … Read more
Building with adobe — a material created by mixing clay-rich soil with straw, sand, and other organic materials — has been in use since 8300 BC. It is popular in arid and semiarid places where wood is scarce. The word “Adobe” derives from the Arabic “al ṭūb” meaning “the bricks.” Adobe buildings are low energy, … Read more
Here are some fun examples of playful architecture in Europe: The Cube Houses in Rotterdam were designed by architect Piet Blom, and are based on the concept of “living in an urban roof.” The houses are a set of angled cubes tilted at 45 degrees. This unusual design theoretically optimizes the available space inside the … Read more