Tag Archives: sustainable architecture

Sustainable Cabin – A Transportable Architecture Laboratory

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Michael Janzen

A design-build program headed by Urs Peter Flueckiger at Texas Tech University produced this small off-grid cabin. It will serve as a lab for exploring sustainable design. The project was inspired by Thoreau’s Cabin and Le Corbusier’s Cabanon. The structure was … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects | Tagged sustainable architecture, Sustainable Cabin, texas, Texas Tech University, Urs Peter Flueckiger, Wichita Falls | 4 Comments

Patrick’s Pallet House on Wheels

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Michael Janzen

Back in September I reported on a pallet house being built by a fellow in Lakeland, Florida named Patrick. He’s using discarded shipping pallets for the walls and has framed the roof with conventional lumber. This was a very wise choice … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects | Tagged florida, Lakeland, pallet house, pallets, Patrick, sustainable architecture | 5 Comments

Sustainable Architecture – The Benefits of Prefab

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Michael Janzen

The other night I confessed my personal aesthetic preference for earthen structures over modern prefab, while also admitting that those shiny metal boxes always catch my eye. Homes made from manufactured parts will never be as sustainable, low-impact, or low cost … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction Method | Tagged diy prefab, Malcolm, prefab, sustainable architecture, tiny prefab | 1 Comment

Sustainable Architecture – Metal Boxes vs Earthen

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Michael Janzen

This post was sparked by a comment from Steve, one of my long-time readers. In a nutshell, he suggested that people would be much better off living in handmade homes than living in machine-made prefabs. Like most people, modern prefab … Continue reading →

Posted in Sustainable Living | Tagged adobe, cob, earthbag, LEED, prefab, rammed earth, sustainable architecture | 17 Comments

Builders of the Pacific Coast by Lloyd Kahn

Posted on June 27, 2010 by Michael Janzen

Lloyd Kahn is currently working on a new book on tiny houses, and recently contacted me about possibly including a piece on my Tiny Free House. It won’t be long before I’ll need to move my pallet house project closer … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged alternative architecture, book, Builders of the Pacific Coast, handmade homes, Lloyd Kahn, Shelter Publications, sustainable architecture | 4 Comments

Earthbag YouTube Channel

Posted on June 5, 2010 by Michael Janzen

The folks at the Earthbag Building Blog recently launched a YouTube channel filled with videos that show exactly how earthbag buildings are constructed. These simple earthen homes are extremely inexpensive to build and can be earthquake and hurricane resistant if … Continue reading →

Posted in Video | Tagged earth, earthbag, earthen, sustainable architecture, Video, youtube | Leave a comment

Studio Shed – Affordable Shed Kits

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Michael Janzen

Studio Shed is a relative new tiny space builder. These prefab little sheds can be setup in a day and used as a backyard shed, or with some interior finish work, a nice backyard home office. Prices start at $4,900 … Continue reading →

Posted in Kits / Prefab | Tagged backyard, green, home office, kit, Shed Kit, Studio Shed, sustainable architecture | 2 Comments

Quietude

Posted on April 17, 2010 by Michael Janzen

One of my readers commented on Palladio’s Escape Cottage the other day and mentioned another similar house called Quietude. The name was unfamiliar to me so I followed the link and found this wonderful small house designed by Henry Yorke … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects | Tagged Henry Yorke Mann, Quietude, small house, sustainable architecture | 7 Comments

Tour Dee’s Tiny House

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Michael Janzen

On April 17 & 18 (2010), Dee Williams will open her home and participate in a sustainable home tour in Olympia, Washington. Dee’s home is one of the first Tumbleweed tiny houses and was created using many reclaimed and recycled … Continue reading →

Posted in Announcement | Tagged dee williams, sustainable architecture, sustainable home tour, tiny house | Leave a comment

Casita in Arruda dos Vinhos by Plano B

Posted on February 3, 2010 by Michael Janzen

While this modern cabin looks like it was built with all new materials, it’s wasn’t. In fact it’s a bit of a Phoenix reborn from the ashes and uses many reclaimed building materials from a ruined building of the same … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects | Tagged Arruda dos Vinhos, Plano B, portugal, reclaimed, recycled, sustainable architecture | 4 Comments