2023-10-02
What is a water-sensitive design? A water sensitive home is one in which the dwelling and its surrounding land are designed and used so as to […]
2023-09-21
Rammed earth is an ancient form of building whereby a damp mix of aggregates—commonly gravel, sand, silt and clay—are rammed into removable frames (formwork) to create […]
2023-09-07
Natural Building Conferences: Why aren’t we doing more of them? If you pick up any old copy of The Owner Builder Magazine, Earth Garden or even […]
2023-09-03
What exactly is rammed earth building ? As a building method, rammed earth is one of the most sustainable materials to choose in home design. Rammed […]
2023-08-28
So you want to be a building designer? For many of us, the time and price tag of a full architecture degree is just out of […]
2023-08-13
Passive House design You may have started to hear the term Passive House turn up on television and in architectural design articles and be wondering what’s […]
2023-08-10
Once called Solar Homes, passive solar design has been around for thousands of years. Neolithic Chinese home builders originated much of the passive solar heating techniques […]
2023-08-06
Passive solar design – the fundamentals Passive solar design (or passive design) takes advantage of a building’s site, climate, and materials to minimize energy use. A […]
2023-08-01
Strawbale pre-fabrication Building homes out of straw stacked on-top of each other has a long tradition, largely in the United States. The drawbacks are the rough […]
2023-07-24
How to navigate planning and regulations at the Off-Grid Festival 2023 In April this year, myself (Rachel – town planner, researcher and natural building consultant) and […]
2023-07-17
Historic Mudbrick Tour Goes Online In March 2023, the Nillumbik Mudbrick Association pivoted to host their first virtual mudbrick house tour to great success. For many […]
2023-07-05
Building material of the month: Strawbale Strawbales have been a popular and favoured exterior wall choice for many natural builders since the 1990s. They can be […]