Cob is a material consisting of clay, sand, earth and water. It is very versatile and resilient as a natural building material and can easily be moulded into aesthetically pleasing natural homes.For this reason houses built with cob can be “hand sculpted” Because the material used in Cob Construction is readily available and very often naturally occurring building with cob it is quite often favoured as an ecological building...

The bark of plants which contain fibres which can be used for cordage or matting are referred to as bast fibres. Among Bast Fibre crops are Jute, Flax, Ramie, Kenaf, nettle and of course Hemp. Hemp as a foodstuff is contained in many products. Hemp can be used in the manufacture of a range of clothing and accessories. But is as a natural building material that the use of hemp is growing in popularity. One of those responsible for the revival in...

Straw as a building material has been used for thousands of years. Because of its durability and insulation properties, it is still popular as a material used in roof thatching. Straw is a by product from the agricultural production of grain and for that reason it is readily available. In the past straw was used on farms for thatching and for bedding animals. With with the mechanisation of agriculture in the 19th Century straw became more...

The Passive Solar House is one in which is designed so that the materials used in it’s construction effectively collect, store and distribute solar energy as heat. Conversely a Passive Solar House will reduce the level of heat within the house in summer. Passive Solar House Design (or Climatic Design) don’t require Active Solar Heating systems. The design principles focus on the site location and layout of the house, local climatic...

Designing and Building a Log Home Log House or Log Cabin construction is one of the most natural building methods. Houses have been built using Logs for thousands of years. In fact the oldest known Log House in Norway is reported to be over 900 years old. Log House Construction is popular in Scandinavia, North America and Canada where there is a plentiful supply of suitable timber. Firs, Pines and Spruce trees are popular. At House Design...