Free journals published by the California Straw Building Association are available on their website as PDF downloads. Only issues from 2007-2012 are available at this time. I’m not sure if the journal is still published. The issues I looked at are quite good. To give you an idea of the content, the first article in the list is titled ‘Straw Bale House Designed by CASBA Members Arkin Tilt Architects Wins Fine Homebuilding Magazine’s “Best New Home” of 2012’.
affordable housing
Kasita: tiny prefab home-as-a-service for post-land urbanism
“Professor Jeff Wilson wants to create the “iPhone for housing”. He thinks we need to shed our preconceptions of housing as dependent on land and instead consider his plug-and-play shelter.
Earthbag Technical Report in NEA Engineer’s Journal
I’m happy to announce the publication of our earthbag technical report in Nepal. Kateryna Zemskova of Good Earth Nepal.org played a big part in making this happen. Good Earth Nepal also won the NEA design award in January.
San Francisco’s YIMBY Movement
“San Francisco’s YIMBY movement (“yes in my backyard”) is pushing the city to build its way out of the housing crisis.
Lloyd Kahn’s Small Homes Book under Production
I just saw on Lloyd Kahn’s blog that he’s working on a new book. His other Shelter Publications are excellent. Lloyd Kahn is the editor-in-chief of Shelter Publications, an independent California publisher. Shelter Publications specializes in books on building and architecture, as well as health and fitness. Lloyd’s latest book is Tiny Homes on the Move: Wheels and Water. For more info, see: www.shelterpub.com
Grandma Krishna’s Earthbag Home in Nepal
“Initially, on paper, I figured that it would be cheap to build earthbag houses. After many years of research, while I was studying and working in the UK, and after the twin earthquakes of 2015, it made more sense to me to give this method a try and promote it. I finally made the jump and started building a small earthbag home for the sweet old lady from my community here in Chiti VDC Lamjung. I found some hidden surprises associated with the build.