Having built an eco-house myself I thought I had a basic grasp of how an eco-building works and why. However, I have since realised that I had only just begun to understand the principles of eco-building and how they work with each other. Two weeks ago I attended a training course run by Brighton Permaculture Association on 'An Introduction to Self-Building … Continue reading Building an Earthship
Tinkers Bubble, Somerset
Tinkers Bubble in Somerset is a long standing eco-community. Established in 1994 near Little Norton, they manage 40 acres without the use of fossil fuels or internal combustion engines; "the aim of the community's 16 residents is to derive their livelihoods from the sustainable management of the land and its resources" (Laughton, 2008, p.145) and … Continue reading Tinkers Bubble, Somerset
Lammas, Wales
In early April I visited Lammas (www.lammas.org.uk) in Pembrokeshire to catch up with their progress since they were awarded planning permission for 9 smallholdings and homes in August 2009. Building is quickly progressing on site - there is an almost complete house on plot 7, a straw bale round house on plot 8 and a timber-frame … Continue reading Lammas, Wales
Straw bale council house, Lincolnshire
Today I visited the nearly complete first straw bale council houses in Britain (2 three bedroom homes). North Kesteven District Council have been building these houses at Brumby Crescent in Waddington, Lincolnshire and they are due to have tenants move in end of April 2010. Designed by amazonails (http://www.amazonails.org.uk) they are a beautiful building with wonderful wooden … Continue reading Straw bale council house, Lincolnshire
Nant-y-Cwm School, Wales
I am always looking for inspiring examples of eco-buildings and one is Nant-y-Cwm - a Steiner Waldorf School in Pembrokeshire. One of their buildings is a low impact eco-build which has been studied by my colleague Peter Kraftl who has written on green architecture. Below are some of his photos of the building. A good article about … Continue reading Nant-y-Cwm School, Wales
ECO-HOMES + COMMUNITIES 