Floating Reed Houses

Floating reed houses on Lake Titicaca, Peru
Floating reed houses on Lake Titicaca, Peru

“The Uros use bundles of dried totora reeds to make reed boats (balsas mats), and to make the islands themselves. The larger islands house about ten families, while smaller ones, only about thirty meters wide, house only two or three. The islets are made of totora reeds, which grow in the lake. The dense roots that the plants develop and interweave form a natural layer called Khili (about one to two meters thick) that support the islands.

Read more

Natural Building — Why You Should Build a House with Natural Materials

Natural Building Methods – Why You Should Build a House with Natural Materials from Sean Tounn on Vimeo.

“Learn about why you should build your home or other structures with Timber Framing, Cob, Earth Bag, Straw Bales, Adobe, or Reclaimed Wood.

Read more

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

Konbit Earthbag Shelters

Konbit earthbag dome shelters in Haiti
Konbit earthbag dome shelters in Haiti

“Konbit Shelter is a sustainable building project with the objective of sharing knowledge and resources through the creation of homes and community spaces in post earthquake Haiti. We are a group of artists, builders, architects, and engineers, who, after the January 2010 earthquake, asked ourselves how we could use our skills and resources to directly assist another community in a time of crisis.

Read more