Ancient Stone Domes

Dry stacked stone domes are an ancient type of natural building.
Dry stacked stone domes are an ancient type of natural building.

“The first image that came to my head when I discovered the superadobe (for information on a bio course in Cantabria) and saw the domes, was the image of our drums. Turns out that the domes comes from old :).

Read more

Building the Tristan Thatched House

A new live museum built using traditional materials and methods by Tristan Islanders
A new live museum built using traditional materials and methods by Tristan Islanders

“Since all Tristan houses have now been housed with zinc, it was decided to build a replica of a traditional thatched house typical until 1961 and which continued until the late 1980s but were then replaced by various solid roofing. This house will become a live Museum for visitors but also a monument for the younger generation to see how their ancestors lived so many years ago.

Read more

Cobblestone Architecture

Beautiful cobblestone home
Beautiful cobblestone home

“Cobblestone architecture refers to the use of cobblestones embedded in mortar as method for erecting walls on houses and commercial buildings. Cobblestone architecture was developed in the northeastern United States, especially antebellum western New York state. Masons that built the Erie Canal during 1817-1825 started building cobblestone structures about the time the canal was finished.

Read more

Slipform Stone Masonry


One could argue with the “fast and easy” description of slipform stone masonry at the beginning of the video. He’s probably saying it’s faster than traditional masonry, which is true. Actually, most natural building methods, including stone construction, are quite labor intensive. The payoff though is a house that’s fire and rot resistant, super durable and super beautiful. Note the centuries-old stone houses in recent blog posts. One option is to use stone on the foundation and other faster and easier to use materials for the rest of the wall.

Read more