Low-impact hillside housing
"The house was built with maximum regard for the environment and by reciprocation gives us a unique opportunity to live close to nature. Being your own architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself and the land rather than, at worst, a mass-produced box designed for maximum profit and convenience of the construction industry. Building from natural materials does away with producer's profits and the cocktail of carcinogenic poisons that fill most modern buildings."
Some key points of the design and construction:
* Dug into hillside for low visual impact and shelter
* Stone and mud from diggings used for retaining walls, foundations etc.
* Frame of oak thinnings (spare wood) from surrounding woodland
* Reciprocal roof rafters are structurally and aesthaetically fantastic and very easy to do
* Straw bales in floor, walls and roof for super-insulation and easy building
* Plastic sheet and mud/turf roof for low impact and ease
* Lime plaster on walls is breathable and low energy to manufacture (compared to cement)
* Reclaimed (scrap) wood for floors and fittings
The same people who built this house are also involved with another building venture: That Roundhouse.
Low-impact hillside housing
mr damon, 13:19
2 Comments:
thanks for this. i'm an advocate of alternative building methods and materials and have pushed for it in our community where there is a shortage of affordable housing.
the amount of resistance is large.....especially on the 'building inspection' front....but even when i point out you simply need an engineer's stamp there is argueent and i think what it boils down to is people's perception of what a house 'should look like', and not being able to switch gears.
the resistance also come in that alternative is labour intense. yes, it can be more intense but that's where housing bees come in. and your material costs offset the labour.
anyways, there's enough people around doing the alt thing that i feel it's just going to grow. i'm a big fan of cob for the wet west coast and cordwood for the prairie provinces.
Funny coincidence, or internet memes at work?
I was just reading of this same blog and added detail about a month ago.
And, er...any really good reason why more of us don't already live in similar housing?
Oh right - Industry?!
Post a Comment
<< 22 over 7