Earthbag building in Nepal is growing swiftly for numerous reasons. For one, around 55 earthbag buildings survived the earthquakes with little or no damage. That’s about the most powerful advertising you can get. People saw for themselves how earthbag buildings are stronger than the rest of the buildings in the area. In some cases almost all of the other buildings collapsed – including concrete structures – while the earthbag buildings safely withstood the quakes. This obviously made a huge impression on people and the word has spread rapidly.
sustainable
Primitive Technology Blog – Tiled Roof Hut
“I built this tiled roof hut in the bush using only primitive tools and materials. The tools I used have been made in my previous videos. It should be pointed out that I do not live in the wild and that this is just a hobby. It should be obvious to most that this is not a survival shelter but an experiment in primitive building technology.”
Terra Cotta Decorative Brick
A highlight of my trip to Nepal has been the traditional Newari brick. Beautiful examples of this architectural terra cotta clay brick abound in Kathmandu. Terra cotta brick and tiles are very affordable because they’re made with low fired clay.
Reciprocal Roof at Home-Farm.org
“Reciprocal frame roofs are highly regarded in the natural building community though there is a limited amount of information about them on the internet. Resources that we’ve found helpful are listed at the bottom of this post. There is evidence of similar structures dating back to antiquated castles of Japan and Eskimo huts, though I have yet to find images of these.
Smokeless Stoves
I’ve been told that smokeless stoves are being built in every district of Nepal by the following two organizations:
Alternative Energy Promotion Center
“Improved cook stove (ICS) is a device that is designed to improve combustion efficiency of biomass, consume less fuel, save cooking time, convenient in cooking process and creates smokeless environment in the kitchen or reduction in the volume of smoke produced during cooking against the traditional stove.
Africa Vernacular Architecture Database
“Welcome to the data base on African vernacular architecture.
There is very little information available on vernacular architecture of Africa…. this data base is the only source on line to view images of vernacular structures in every African country.