Green roofing is a way to create a contained green space on top of a structure to support drainage, thermal performance, and biodiversity. This was standard practice in many countries for over a 1000 years. In cold climates, green roofs help retain heat and, in hot...
Unbaked earth is one of oldest building materials. Half of the worlds' buildings are built with unfired earth. Used in Ireland and UK in pre-historic times. Cob was the norm in Britain in 15th century especially in the southwest of England and Wales. There are over...
Strawbale construction is a building method that uses bales of straw as structural elements, building insulation, or both. Strawbale building originated in Nebraska in the 19th century and flourished until the 1940s’. The 1970s’ brought a revival of this natural...
Conventional building construction uses a great deal of fossil fuel and non-renewable resources, while natural building offers a range of alternatives which use less energy and resources and create less damage to the environment. So Tom Whoolley, an aknowledged...
Why another book on green design? asks the author in the preface to this simple and gently inspiring book. This book she says ‘intends to move you to action by giving you an understanding of the design process and decision making process’. The book is divided...
Discover the beauty and empowerment of building low impact. Readily available low-cost natural materials are there to be used. From a straw-bale, earth, or lime/hemp, the versatility of natural materials is wide. There can be a misconception with these methods of...