Sharing the Ascension Experience
Deciding to live in a tiny house involves making some big lifestyle choices. You’ll need to be happy with minimal belongings — hoarders need not apply. But cozy quarters also offer huge advantages. Tiny houses are far more affordable than standard-size houses. Most owners of tiny homes live mortgage-free. The lower building costs allow many … Read more
Driven by a commitment to reduce energy consumption and built space, there’s a growing trend among the eco-conscious to build tiny homes. A new book, Nano House by Phyllis Richardson (Thames & Hudson), gathers 40 of the best-designed examples from around the world–all of which showcase an appreciation for the efficient use of space, materials, … Read more
The material has been dubbed “ultralight metallic microlattice,” and according to a news release sent out by UC Irvine, it consists of 99.99% air thanks to its “microlattice” cellular architecture. It is so lightweight that the research team consisting of scientists at UC Irvine, HRL Laboratories and Caltech say in the peer-reviewed Nov. 18 issue … Read more
Where the eye is upon superfluities, either of quantity or quality, rather than bare necessities, there self-maintenance passes over toward self-gratification, and vanity-wants and pleasure-wants supersede hunger-wants. —W. G. Sumner and A. G. Keller (1927)
Understanding the Causes of Fungi Growth in Building Structures Mold – What is it? Where is it found? Why the Concern? Molds are microscopic fungi that live on organic matter. Most molds produce spores, which can be air-borne, water-borne, or insect-borne and are highly adapted to grow and rapidly reproduce under the right conditions. Mold … Read more
A social entrepreneur of the Philippines has come up with an ingenious solution for lighting problems in the low income areas. He uses plastic bottles to lighten up the dark homes of poor. The solution is green and cheap.
A small but informative book by author Mary James and titled “Recreating the American Home: The Passive House Approach” is replete with excellent photographs, floor plans and construction details to complement the well-written text. The book does a great job explaining the passive house approach to construction and describes each of the eight featured homes … Read more
The prime minister said his government had initiated three “revolutions”: First, by “changing the way we treat land that the government holds, [as] our aim is not to maximize profit on land, but rather the opposite, to cut the price of land”; second, by correcting a market failure and introducing housing for low-cost rent; and … Read more
Ming Tang’s beautiful origami-inspired Folded Bamboo Houses are intended for use as temporary shelters in the aftermath of a disaster. These shelters are constructed from a variety of renewable materials and can be folded into structurally sound shapes. A system of bamboo poles are pre-assembled to form a rigid geometry thus allowing a range of … Read more
To rapidly create shelter from materials in the local supply chain consider the hexayurt. The simplest hexayurt will last for years in most climates and cost less than $100. Make a wall by putting six sheets of plywood on their sides in a hexagon. Cut six more sheets in half diagonally, and screw them together … Read more