Felicja Curylowa was a talented ceramics artist who painted her house with the designs that she was famous for. Today, her home in the village of Zalipie is a museum. Local women are also taught her style of painting and about twenty houses, the fire station, church and a farm are similarly decorated. Zalipie is about 40 miles east of Krakow, Poland. June 2011
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The Year of Mud: Building a cob house
Editor's Note: Sasha Rabin is someone with enviable skills in natural building. She has been building, and teaching others to build, with natural materials since co-founding Seven Generations Natural
The old south window is gone, as well as the foundation below it and the cob bench as well. So now the two structures are officially connected!!! The feeling of the space has now completely chang…
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One thing I will really miss about summer's end is the end of weekly "Natural Building" lessons for my son. We all benefited from these weekly sessions out in the country. He learned cob building, strawbale building techniques and thatching. He helped collect those lovely reeds above when the snow was still on the ground this spring. The girls really enjoyed the freedom to roam through the finished strawbale studio on the grounds. Such a magical feeling place. The organic shapes and the natural light sometimes made it feel as if we were stepping into an old world painting. And it was exciting, too to be able to climb into a loft high above on a wooden ladder no less (no code stairway with rails here). This is the actual structure that the teens were building. They participated in everything: digging the trenches for a foundation, hauling stones, felling trees, collecting reed, lashing, sawing, stripping bark. Wow, I was envious of their energy and opportunity. My son did all of the thatching above. He was pretty aprehensive about leaving it for someone else to finish when he began school in September. I am so thankful for the adventures he had there. I hope that it helps to shape his outlook on the world and the future. I guess every little thing does.
I know it's not Halloween yet, but I have just discovered one of the strangest buildings I have ever seen and I want to share my info with you. If you see
Explore The Year of Mud's 2775 photos on Flickr!
By Erin Davis A great way to add character and individuality to your home is to look beyond the United States and incorporate international interior design trends. It’s also a wonderful way to pay h...
Building with straw bales has many appealing benefits, but is no panacea. It has drawbacks just like any other system.
Earthship homes by Michael Reynolds are indigenous self-sustaining adaptive shelters which generate their own resources through passive techniques.
A földház vagy dombház ősi építészeti forma. Magyarországon is van hagyománya a dombházaknak, elég csak a házak végébe épített boltozatos, félig a talajszint alá süllyesztett földes pincékre gondolnunk. Kivitelezési költsége megegyezik egy hagyományos ház költségeivel, fűtésére viszont 30-40 százalékkal kevesebbet kell költeni. Kiváló a hőtároló képessége, jól hasznosítja a föld kellemes klímáját. Belső tereire a […]
As everything evolves, the need for efficient designs becomes more apparent. Designers and architects are constantly exploring new possibilities in terms
Over the weekend I attended an event to learn about straw bale home construction - a sustainable building material that benefits the planet instead hurts it. They also talked about regenerative agriculture, permaculture, and ethically sourced mezcal. It was really cool, and I want to share just a li
Earthship Systems and Design Principles The systems of a building. These are the systems that go into the structural shell of the building for occupancy. Some or all of these systems can be used instead of the conventional methods to provide utilities to buildings. This can make the build more sustainable, secure and healthy than only […]
This is a newly built cob house in Devon. The house has been designed to provide an excellent use of space and has considered environmental considerations. This is just one of the newly built cob houses which are incoporating many different traditional crafts to ensure that they are environmentally friendly. All rooms are finished to a high standard, including underfloor heating and porcelain and oak flooring. Oak doors, oak windows and hand made iron mongery finished with a thatched roof. I especially like the staircase which has been shaped from the cob itself, which runs seamlessly from the wall. These stairs are covered in porcelain tiles to ensure that they stay flat and safe.
The old south window is gone, as well as the foundation below it and the cob bench as well. So now the two structures are officially connected!!! The feeling of the space has now completely chang…
