Building regulations, insurance and finance for natural builds. How passive solar design and the use of natural materials fits within the National Construction Code is...

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...

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...

Getting Insurance for natural homes should be simple, but it isn’t. What is the deal with insuring your natural building? Many in the industry have...

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....

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...

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)...

Natural building materials and the National Construction Code (NCC) There has long been tension between the lived experience and knowledge of those who have lived...

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...

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...