I had the great opportunity to stay at Kailash Eco-village for ten days in August last year. It was the last stop on my trip around eco-buildings in the USA and it did not disappoint. Kailash shares some similarities with Los Angeles Eco-Village – in that it is a deliberately urban project which enables … Continue reading Kailash Eco-village, Portland, Oregon, USA
Ampersand Learning Center, Cerillos, New Mexico, USA
“In a quality life, the sense of fulfilment comes from connection. Look to your rain, look to your land, look to the magical seasons of this earth. Listen to the wind, dance in the mud, then plaster your house with it ... living intimately and comfortably with the basic elements brings a deep sense of … Continue reading Ampersand Learning Center, Cerillos, New Mexico, USA
Thom Wheeler’s Adobe Studio and House, Taos, New Mexico, USA
It takes a while to absorb and understand the scale of Thom’s adobe house and studio in Taos, New Mexico. If at first glance from the outside it looks like an ancient castle, with its large tall entrance ways and wooden beams, then stepping inside is like entering the great hall. The high ceilings, giant … Continue reading Thom Wheeler’s Adobe Studio and House, Taos, New Mexico, USA
Lama Foundation, San Cristobal, New Mexico, USA
Dancing on a wooden floor in an adobe dome built the 1960s was not really how I had envisaged my visit to the Lama Foundation . Yet this collective moment of fun somehow helped connect me to this community in a way I had not expected. Open day dance inside the dome (built 1968) … Continue reading Lama Foundation, San Cristobal, New Mexico, USA
It’s the people who make eco-houses wonderful
The more eco-houses I visit and the more people ask me which were the best houses and which makes inspired me most, the more I realise it is the people who inspire me, not the houses. It is the way people have approached a build, navigated the problems, had the confidence and passion to try … Continue reading It’s the people who make eco-houses wonderful