Many natural builders are moving to rural areas to escape the hustle, bustle, pollution, high costs and, of course, oppressive building codes. Sometimes the areas they move to are very arid. Constructing man-made wetlands can greatly improve the environment around the home as evidenced by the accompanying photos. With a bit of time, effort and research, you could create a mini oasis that cools your home, supplies healthy food, and adds colorful and scented flowers that attracts wildlife such as birds and butterflies. And who wouldn’t want a cool, beautiful, relaxing place to hang out when temperatures are sweltering?
green building
Beat the Heat with Water Misters
“Evaporative Water Misting is proven to reduce temperatures up to 25 Degrees Cooler!!!
– Water misting is proven to repel mosquitoes and air born pests
– Pump systems connect to any 12-volt power source or generator
– Generators use a Red & Black output these are a 12-volt power source
University of Maryland WaterShed
“Instead of focusing only on energy efficiency at this year’s Solar Decathlon, the University of Maryland is also tackling water conservancy with their entry, WaterShed. WaterShed was inspired by the ecosystem of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. WaterShed is an example of how natural water resources can be maintained and protected by homes and buildings, and the house features technology to manage and harvest stormwater, filter and recycle greywater, and minimizing water use in general. In addition, the house also has PV and solar thermal arrays for sustainable energy production.
Creative unique bamboo & earth building design and construction
“At Chiangmai Life Construction we build to increase the quality of life. We build from natural materials: earth, bamboo, wood. When building with earth and bamboo you get closer to nature in many ways. It is essential to understand the interaction of these materials with the elements.
Owen Geiger Interview by Lively Magazine
Your designs are created to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes and the design would be easily adaptable to most cultures. What are some other advantages?
Other advantages are explained throughout our sites (over 1,000 pages of free info online). Advantages include: no need for expensive concrete foundations (gravel bags on rubble trench foundations works great – this can save you thousands of dollars on this one thing alone); ease of creating almost any shape you want – roundhouses, domes, free form designs, you name it; ability to build underground or with earth sheltering or earth berming; no need for wood if wood is scarce or expensive; bags can be filled with insulation (lava rock, etc.) in cold climates, or insulation can be added to the exterior; owner-builder friendly – virtually anyone can build this way using very few tools and little or no special training.
Bamboo Shelters in Indonesia
“The International Federations community-based early-recovery programme has supported tens of thousands of quake survivors to take control of their own recovery. With support from trained Red Cross volunteers and students from local universities, affected communities have managed and implemented the construction of more than 14,000 quake-resilient transitional shelters.