Real-life Hobbit Houses – Cae Mabon


“Eric Maddern creates an award-winning “Shangri-la” of natural building in Snowdonia. His buildings re-create indigenous house styles around the world, using natural materials such as wood, mud and straw. He has an octagonal Native American hogan with reciprocal frame roof, strawbale walls and a lime render, a roundhouse with thatched roof, a cob cottage, a cordwood log lodge and a real-life replica of a Hobbit hut!”

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Training the Locals – Earthbag Dome, Columbia

Earthbag dome home by Arquitectura en Equilibrio
Earthbag dome home by Arquitectura en Equilibrio

“This training took place December 2011 in Nariño, the southern border of Colombia with Ecuador. During 2 days we gave all the basic construction tools to a bunch of very happy and enthusiastic locals which were amazed at learning a new earth based construction method, an evolution of their own local architecture!”

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Roman seawater concrete holds the secret to cutting carbon emissions

This image shows a drill core of 2,000 year old volcanic ash-hydrated lime mortar from the ancient port of Baiae in Pozzuloi Bay, Italy.
This image shows a drill core of 2,000 year old volcanic ash-hydrated lime mortar from the ancient port of Baiae in Pozzuloi Bay, Italy.

This discovery shows how to make stronger, longer lasting concrete with far less energy. A green type of concrete like this could replace Portland concrete, which is viewed negatively by many due to its adverse environmental impact.

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