Note from Charlie and Meg whose house is being threatened with demolition by building authorities:
“Hi, just a quick update for all the folk asking what the latest news is. Currently we’re still living in the house and waiting on a decision from Pembrokeshire County Council regarding our retrospective application. We’re feeling fairly confident that everything will be o.k in the end. We’ll update everyone, as soon as we hear anything. These kind of things have been known to drag on for years… in the mean time, life goes on. Thanks for all the words of support! Bless up and get building.”
green building
The Pitak Project
“We choose to build naturally because of its low carbon footprint and sustainability. We use natural materials like clay, river rocks, wood, bamboo, rice straw and carabao dung. Natural building is inexpensive, healthy, environment-friendly and the materials are readily available. As much as we can, we minimize the use of industrially produced materials like cement and steel.
Taos Green Home 1
“Green home in Taos New Mexico, a look around the house and the area. Taos is known for innovative earth based building techniques and artistic lifestyles.”
Straw-bale Home Guided Tour/ Adobe studio
“This property was sold August 2012. To see more of what we make visit Meiners and Lee Studio.
The Gender Difference In Eco-Building
“In recent visits to a variety of eco-communities across Britain and to eco-build sites I have realised quite how gendered everything still is, even in places where you might expect a more ‘progressive’ view. There exists a presumption that men like to build and that women like to garden and cook. When I ask people on site whether this is deliberate, conscious, or a problem, the majority have said ‘it is simply the way things are, men are stronger and can do different jobs to women’. But is determining what we are able to do simply a matter of physical prowess, or are other assumptions made in such statements which we need to disentangle a little?
Don’t Build Domes in Wet Climates Without Roofs
“This is the dome of a friend in Colombia, is located at 1,600 meters above sea level on a rainy climate, in a land with many gravel. The superadobe is stabilized with hydraulic lime, has a double wall to 3.30 and wire. Foundation is 60 centimeters deep and filled with cement and stone above it a concrete plate 6 cm. The iladas of superadobe may have moisturized longer than necessary due to rain during the construction process despite being covered with plastic dome.