Recreating the American Home – The Passive House Approach

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

HexaYurts to the Rescue

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

Case Study — New Home for Apple

Does the growing family have anything to learn from a growing business seeking new accommodations? We think so. This post kicks off the new home case study for Apple Computer. The company wants to build one building that will hold 12,000 Apple employees. “There’s not a single straight piece of glass in this building,” according … Read more