Barn raising has long served as a cultural way to extol virtues of mutual aid and premodern communitarianism, a symbolic reference for an event where neighbors come together to build together. But instead of an origin story of American pastoralism or a romanticized view of country life, barn raising is more instructive as a collective … Read more
Ashish Shah and his wife, Nipa, always wanted to build a farmhouse in the countryside. The couple and their two daughters lived in Mumbai. Nipa owns a brand that produces and markets organic, farm-sourced food, so they sought to set up a farm within a two-hour drive from Mumbai. Eventually, they came across a two-acre … Read more
The archeological site of Mezhyrich, located in central Ukraine, is home to four remarkable mammoth bone structures. Ranging from 12 to 24 m2 (130 to 260 sf), they were intricately constructed using hundreds of mammoth bones and tusks. An analysis of small mammal remains recovered directly from the archaeological layers indicates that at least one … Read more
Mr. Giovane has enclosed an entire condominium in Brazil with a dry-stacked stone wall. He has worked with this method for decades. It took him about six months of work, but he stayed on site for almost a year because of the rainy weather. These walls are made without the use of any binding material, … Read more
Most bamboo species reach full height in three to five years compared to at least a decade for traditional timber, making it incredibly renewable. The fastest-growing bamboo species can grow up to 35 inches, or 91 centimeters, in a day! During its rapid growth phase, bamboo absorbs a lot of carbon dioxide and releases lots … Read more
When people see the castle that Jim Bishop built for the first time, the reaction is almost always the same: How can a single man build a giant castle all by himself? The answer lies in decades of manual labor, creativity, and stubbornness. It all began in 1969, when he built a first room on … Read more