Tasmanian builder Andrias McMahon has been working with hempcrete on two recent projects. “The process of structurally making a building with hempcrete is not very far from a conventional building,” he said. “You need to give it a minimum of six weeks to cure — that’s the primary cure. “The overall curing process takes about … Read more
Justin & Linda Tyers bought a lot in the Exmoor National Park for £50k, which left them a budget of £67k to build a beautiful, off-grid, timber-frame, straw bale home. A truly inspirational self build. You can watch the video at www.youtube.com
Four years ago, architect Richard Morris co-founded Pounamu, a bamboo design and construction company in Myanmar, with Soe Win Zaw, a Burmese structural engineer. Before this he had no knowledge of bamboo construction. When he was asked to design a new school in Shan State his bamboo education began. Following Rudolf Steiner principles, the school’s … Read more
Nearly two decades of testing and experimentation have gone into producing these solar food dehydrator plans. This food dryer is efficient and off-grid and it’s highly cost-effective for anyone wanting to preserve lots of food at home. The author led research teams at the Appropriate Technology Program at Appalachian State University. They conducted many experiments … Read more
Nepal’s Bayalpata Hospital won an international award in the Health Category at the Global Architecture Festival held in Amsterdam. The hospital in is a public-private partnership and is built almost entirely using rammed earth. ‘This is an example of when architecture provides more than a building. Although modest in scale and architectural expression is delivers … Read more
Biophilic design is a term which refers to the connection between our built environment and the living world around us. It speaks to our innate love of nature, our biosphere and connection with living systems. This tiny home has been designed to incorporate elements of biophilic design and natural building to create a home on … Read more