BOOK: Eco-Homes: People, place and politics

My book about eco-homes worldwide will be published on 16th January 2016. It is being published by Zed Books (London) and Chicago University Press (USA) as a paperback, so hopefully reasonably affordable. Book blurb: It is widely understood that good, affordable eco-housing needs to be at the heart of any attempt to mitigate or adapt to climate … Continue reading BOOK: Eco-Homes: People, place and politics

Findhorn Eco-village, Forres, Scotland

    Houses at Findhorn  Trying to summarise what Findhorn is about, what it does and what contribution it makes is almost impossible. Every visitor, resident, student or employee would focus on something different. Even in its own literature it describes itself as a ‘spiritual community, learning centre, ecovillage’. It is these three things and so … Continue reading Findhorn Eco-village, Forres, Scotland

Evaluating the success of an eco-house

How do we judge how ‘good’ an eco-house is? By its ecological performance, what it feels like to live in it, how long it lasts, how much it cost? All of these are used, some formally in post occupancy evaluation, and others more informally in judging what worked and what hasn’t in new buildings. Post … Continue reading Evaluating the success of an eco-house

Earthship Biotecture, near Taos, New Mexico, USA

Standing on top of an Earthship in the New Mexico desert watching the sunset turn the mountains a deep red, makes you realise how boring conventional housing is. Earthships are a highly inventive and unusual house design by Mike Reynolds who spent years experimenting in the New Mexico deserts. There are now hundreds of examples … Continue reading Earthship Biotecture, near Taos, New Mexico, USA

Columbia Eco-village, Portland, Oregon

Columbia eco-village is a relatively new co-housing project in the north east of Portland. It is on the site of an old nut farm which was partly sold to developers in the 1960s who built five apartment buildings. These buildings and the remainder of the farm and farmhouse now constitute the eco-village. Using a loan … Continue reading Columbia Eco-village, Portland, Oregon