This beautiful straw bale home in Texas hill country is designed to foster natural air flow and, even though it has a conventional forced-air furnace, its utility bills are modest.
"All interior exposed lumber is reclaimed longleaf/heart pine. Clerestory design allows for natural air flow when heating/cooling system is not used. All faucets/shower heads/toilets feature low-flow design." Find full information at Green Homes for Sale.
Check out the Earthship website and get inspired to build one, or find out how to just spend the night in one.
"Earthship n.
1. passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials 2. thermal
mass construction for temperature stabilization. 3. renewable energy
& integrated water systems make the Earthship an off-grid home with
little to no utility bills.
Biotecture n.
1. the profession of designing buildings and environments with
consideration for their sustainability. 2. A combination of biology and
architecture."
On Friday night we attended the grand opening of the Allyu Spa where we admired the beautiful natural wall finishes and adobe furniture created by Anna Wolfson. Anna gave us a tour around the space, which uses vivid earth colors and VOC-free paints, as well as burlap died with iron oxide as a wall covering. Anna is doing great work and seems to be generating a good buzz among interior designers and architects. The walls absorb the light to create a soft, warm and intimate atmosphere.
I dare you to take a look at this Low Impact Woodland Home and tell me that you wouldn't want to live there, or at least stay there for awhile. Every fantasy of what "home" means: harmony, non-domination, anti-consumerism, protection, peace, and comfort all resonate from this design. I wouldn't feel bad about creating a new footprint in the woods if it were a footprint like this one.
This straw bale house in Marble, Colorado has gone a little overboard on the wooden railings inside, but otherwise looks like a good bet.
If you thought straw bale was only for desert locales, take a look at this gorgeous straw bale house for sale in a cohousing community in Port Townsend, WA. What I love about straw bale houses are the deep sills resulting from the thick walls. This house reminds me of the house that the seven dwarves lived in in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" -- except bigger, of course.
