There’s no detailed information about these particular vaults, but they look great and I wanted to share this with readers. They look like leaning adobe vaults by the famous Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy, author of Architecture for the Poor. This method uses thinner, medium sized adobe blocks mortared together with mud. The adobes are set into sloping arches that lean against an end wall..
sustainable
Golden Bamboo Ceilings
I posted a photo a while back about the new roofing tile on our earthbag roundhouse. The exterior looks great, and the roofing tile won’t take any maintenance for 20-30 years. But like I said in that blog post the ceiling is unfinished. The thatch roof that was on it before made a gorgeous ceiling, but the upkeep was too much since thatch here only lasts about three years. It occurred to me that bamboo would look really good on the ceiling. One option is golden or yellow bamboo as shown in these images.
Learn How to Build Your Own Underground Home
“Underground homes have several advantages over homes built above the ground.
Underground homes, or earthen homes, have extreme benefits over above ground housing across the entire board. Some of these beneficial qualities include their ability to save space above ground, their extreme insulative properties which make them highly energy efficient, and their extremely durable structures.
Dreaming of an Earthbag Home in Malaysia
“Dear Owen & Kelly,
We believe it is no mere coincidence that we have stumbled upon your guide to build a ‘dirt-cheap’ shelter using dirt at Instructables.com just a while ago. We are a young couple from Malaysia just starting our new life with our 1-year old baby boy.
Small-Diameter Wood: An Underused Building Material
Many of those in need of housing have access to small-diameter trees in nearby forests. These trees can be used to produce materials that are ideal for building affordable homes. If used in conjunction with energy-efficient straw bale construction and other natural materials, small-diameter wood can be used to create a better home than most building systems, at lower cost.
8 Great Straw Bale Projects From Around the World
“Whenever I drive past a new building on the edge of every town, I wonder — why aren’t they building straw bale? But the word is spreading, and staw bale buildings are becoming a more common sight around the world. Want to take a little tour?”