Dr. Owen Geiger and I have just found that a book published in 1990 in Germany, Building with Pumice, written by Klaus Grasser and Gernot Minke, describes experiments done in the 1970?s at the Research Laboratory for Experimental Building at Kassel Polytechnic College in Germany that have considerable bearing on the history of earthbag building.

Most of the book is about the physical properties of pumice, how to obtain and process it, and how to make blocks or walls with pumice/cement, but the fifth and final chapter, titled ?Building with Unbonded Pumice,? describes how they began to investigate the question of how natural building materials like sand and gravel could be used for building houses without the necessity of using binders. The use of fabric-packed bulk material was found to be a cost-efficient approach. They used pumice to pack in the bags, because it weighs less and has better thermal insulating properties than ordinary sand and gravel. Their first successful experiments were with corbeled dome shapes (an inverted catenary) which was obtained with the aid of a rotating vertical template mounted at the center of the structure.

1978, a prototype house using an earthquake-proof stacked-bag type of construction was built in Guatemala. They used cotton bags soaked in lime-wash to protect the material from rot and insects. When flattened, the bags measured roughly 8 X 10 cm. Vertical bamboo poles placed on both sides of the bags and interconnected with wire loops gave the stacked bags stability. The bamboo rods were fixed to the foundation and to the horizontal tie beam at the top.

Obviously the concept of constructing homes with fabric bags of mineral material predates Nader Khalili?s earliest experiments by many years, and I was certainly not the first to experiment with filling earthbags with pumice! The entire chapter is reproduced as an article at www.greenhomebuilding.com.

There are portable toilets and portable cabins. Now there is the portable kitchen and bathroom called the Woonbox. The Woonbox is a compact wonder. It is a large box which when opened up somewhat like a book will reveal a shower and toilet on one side and a kitchen complete with two cooking rings and sink on the other. Additional parts like the kitchen cabinet cover hinges open to provide additional counterspace. The Woonbox is fully mobile and mechanized.

The Woonbox was conceived by architects Arthur Rottier and Peter Jongman from the Dutch architectural firm, KAW. The designers created it as a temporary solution for use in diverse situations. In offices, for large events perhaps even for displaced or disadvantaged people. Anywhere really where people could benefit from the comforts of home delivered by this mobile all-in-one kitchen and bathroom box.

Via

a

Mobile Mini-Home - Woonbox

our second sneak peek features a 1930’s residence at the historic grasmoor in cincinnati, ohio. the goal of rebekah sigfrids and her design team of aubrie hensler, mike dereix, mom - donna sigfrids (as favorite antiquing partner)  - was “to create an earthy femininity by balancing soft modern furnishings with time worn primitive finds.” you can click here for more images of rebekah’s condo, and as always, all the sneak peeks can be found here for inspiration (and if you still need help, call on rebekah sigfrid’s studio). [thanks to rebekah for showing off her latest project! ] -anne

[above: I love the contrast of the classically modern black marble Saarinen table against the raw wood chairs. The chairs pull out the color of the very old and clearly adored buffet. I love the feminine modernity of the silk screened canvas by Jenny Sauethat is paired with a photograph by Lightleaks.]

I am not ashamed of my love of watching a little television (mostly Barefoot Contessa) after a long day. We composed the television with a clouds canvas, a photograph by Lightleaks (purchased on Etsy) and rustic antique finds on top of IKEA media storage units.

The last time my sister was in town we spent an entire day on this B&B Italia sofa: reading, napping, chatting, watching Darjeeling Limited and drinking coffee that later shifted to cocktails. The photo above the sofa is by Madelaine (purchased on Etsy).

We wanted the bedroom to have a barefooted sense of elegance. The long primitive church pew is where I sit to put my shoes on? and, I’ll be honest?it is also a great collector of all the clothes I considered wearing but then decided against.

Light filters beautifully through the big old trees outside the windows of this room, so the space required little more than a beautiful modern bed (Elemento) with a billowed duvet (anthropologie) and an old trunk that holds lots of books.

I was originally attracted to this 1930’s residence at the historic Grasmoor in Cincinnati, Ohio because of the elegance of its formal layout and its’ petite but gracious size. We sanded down the original parquet floors to reveal their natural color and protected them with a custom white tinted sealer. Throughout the residence this washed effect on the floors is paired with foggy shades of white.

The bath combines modern plumbing with herringboned white carrara marble and gold accessories. The bird painting in the foreground was created by my Mom; the bird sketches in the pair of gold frames are by the very talented Mike Dereix.

first up today we have a sneak peek into the oakland, ca “treehouse” of jean orlebeke, of obek design and the designer behind the fantastic wrapping papers by eiei-o studio (be sure to check out the awesome new digital prints too!). thanks so much to jean for opening up her home and garden for us (you can find more here). stay tuned for a second fabulous sneak peek at 2pm! - anne

The woven walnut lamp shade and the orange, white and black lacquer modular table bases are from Publique Living. I designed the fabric on the slipper chairs for Luna Textiles. I bought all of the other furniture, including the couch and table on ebay.

This is the main room of the house, the entry, living room and dining area. The house is built into a grade, so you enter on ground level, but the opposite wall is the height of a second story. Feels like a tree house!

This view is looking from the den into the kitchen. Behind the sunflowers is an Ikea wardrobe unit used as a pantry.

This is where I sit when I am feeling… overwhelmed. It’s a tiny room filled with both gifts from friends and souvenirs attached to good memories.

I am completely obsessed with collecting seeds — know exactly where each of these is from.

Mies, the A-cat…View to garden.

so the buzz in my little brooklyn design world is all about the selby right now. it seems that everyone i’ve spoken with in the last two weeks has said “hey, have you checked out the selby yet?” and the answer? yes, yes i have. and i haven’t stopped checking it out since. photographer todd selby takes incredible photos of artists, designers and creative personalities in their homes and studios and then posts them on his recently launched website. beyond showcasing some seriously rad interiors (how awesome is that dark blue/black kitchen below?), selby is an all-around whiz with the camera so each home tour feels like a cooler-than-cool (complete with a friend to a link to photo king the cobrasnake) magazine spread shot by the home-owners best friend who knows all the best pieces to shoot. the interiors tend to to skew a little bit edgier (or more out-there) than what i normally post here, but i think it’s great to see something a little bit more outside of the box. click here to check it out and start developing a serious crush on all things selby.

When I was a little girl my mother worked in a sewing studio called Cody’s Couture in Georgetown (D.C.), which is where I spent a significant amount of my preschool years. The owner of the studio was a Frenchwoman named Solange Cody who loved me to death. Every time I was there I would join her on her errand-runs, which involved walking around Georgetown picking up lunch, buying flowers, and window-shopping at all the little boutiques. Hanging out with her allowed me to absorb everything in this trendy neighborhood within Washington, D.C. I remember loving all the clothes, the fashion, and window displays ? even then I appreciated the treasures in these little spaces. It’s truly amazing what stays with you because today I love doing the same thing. No matter what city I live in I ha ve to explore the boutiques. I don’t need to buy anything, because for me there is something very nostalgic and wonderful about just visiting and admiring the unique flavor in each of them. Blogging for Fly gives me more opportunities to do so and an excuse to take pictures so I can share these inspiring spaces with others.

Here are some pictures from some recent boutique visits in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

Cute earrings and colorful clothing from Harriet’s Alter Ego.

Funky clutches and pretty tops from Redberi.

I received an email from Professor Sunny Cai, who teaches architectural design at a college in Beijing , China. He mentioned his interest in ancient Chinese architecture, especially the earthen buildings called ?tulou,? and he sent me some pictures of these rammed earth buildings.

I had never seen anything quite like them, so I queried him further about how they were made and used. He replied, ?The foundation was built with rocks, 2 feet high all around. The juice of glutinous rice and some lime is mixed into the earth for strength, and then sliced bamboo, reeds, and sometimes pieces of wood are also used.?

This picture was taken in front of a rammed earth building with Sunny Cai and his students.

I did some further internet research and found out more about these interesting structures. Tulou are traditional communal residences in the Fujian province of Southern China, often of a circular configuration surrounding a central shrine. Some of these vernacular structures were constructed of cut granite or had substantial walls of fired brick. The end result is a well lit, well-ventilated, windproof, earthquake resistant building that is warm in winter and cool in summer.

There are more than 20,000 tulou in southern Fujian, and these were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008 as ?exceptional examples of a building tradition and function exemplifying a particular type of communal living and defensive organization, and, in terms of their harmonious relationship with their environment".

Actually the Tulou were built by a minority called the Hakka, who were originally Han who fled south to escape war and famine during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). As they gradually moved they changed the local architecture by incorporating Han styles and that produced the tulou. Not only were the high walls built for defense but they were also the result of traditional Han architecture. Tulou were mostly built between the 12th to the 20th centuries. The oldest one was constructed over 1,200 years ago and is regarded as a ?living fossil? of the construction style of central China.

There are three types of Tulou. The Wufeng has three halls and two side rooms and are said to be the result of a redesign of the Han courtyard. The oldest tulou are the rectangle ones, and the most emblematic ones are round. They are typically designed for defensive purposes and consist of one entrance and no windows at ground level. The biggest round one can have up to five stories with three interior rings. The largest houses cover over 40,000 m² and it is not unusual to find surviving houses of over 10,000 m². Most round tulous are three or four stories, with family kitchens and livestock on the ground floor. The next floor becomes a storage room for food and furniture (with no windows), and above that are the bedrooms.

These structures are exemplary of sustainable architecture in that they are built of local, natural materials with simple techniques. They have good thermal attributes, with the massive earthen walls to help buffer temperatures. They are obviously built to last, and house many of the necessities for life. And they embody a communal life style that conserves energy and resources; these represent a form of ancient co-housing.

after a week of collecting entries for the lena corwin printing by hand contest i am overwhelmed with the gorgeous use of print and pattern in people’s homes! we’ve selected our favorite finalists and now it’s up to you to choose your favorite! voting is open today and will be open through monday evening, july 28th at 10pm EST. choose your favorite by voting right here and the top 5 winners will receive signed copies of lena’s new book and our 1st and 2nd place winners will win one of lena’s gorgeous pillows as well. so- here are your finalists! click here to vote- thank you to everyone who sent us photos of their beautiful homes!

[quick note- there were so many great entries and we’ll definitely be sharing more of them (and expanded sneak peeks) as we go along]

Finalist #1: Catherine’s Patterned Floor (see image above for a larger version of this shot)

Finalist #2: Christine’s Patterned Radiator

Finalist #3: Meredith’s Patterned Walls

Finalist #4: Addie’s Rock and Roll Prints

Finalist #5: Tonya’s Patterned Bedroom

Finalist #6: Ashley’s Silhouette Bathroom

Finalist #7: Rachel’s Blue Patterned Wall

Finalist #8: Shauna’s Patterned Bedroom

Finalist #9: Michelle’s Pattern-Filled House (with pup!)

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

California has adopted the nation's first statewide green-building standards, which will become mandatory in 2010. The new California Green Buildings Standards Code requires builders to reduce energy use by 15 to 30 percent beyond current standards and use more recycled materials. Some of the code will be mandatory, while other parts are just suggested. This is a significant recognition that energy and resource conservation is essential for the welfare of state residents, and hopefully this officially sanctioned consciousness will spread to other states.

These new codes include basic passive solar mandates: "When site and location permit, orient the building with the long sides facing north and south. Provide exterior shade for south-facing windows during the peak cooling season. Provide vertical shading against direct solar gain and glare due to low altitude sun angles for east- and west-facing windows."

For renewable energy, the codes says, "Use on-site renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, low-impact hydro, biomass and bio-gas for at least 1% of the electric power."

For water conservation, the code says, "A schedule of plumbing fixtures and fixture fittings will reduce the overall use of potable water within the building by 20%, and provide water efficient landscape irrigation design that reduces by 50% the use of potable water beyond the initial requirements for plant installation and establishment."

"Each building shall further reduce the generation of wastewater by one of the following methods: The installation of water-conserving fixtures (water closets, urinals) or utilizing non-potable water systems (captured rainwater, graywater, and municipally treated wastewater
(recycled water)."

For materials to be specified for construction, the following is mandated:

• Select building materials or products for permanent installation on the project that have been harvested or manufactured in California or within 500 miles of the project site.
  
• Select bio-based building materials and products made from solid wood, engineered wood, bamboo, wool, cotton, cork, straw, natural fibers, products made from crops (soy-based, corn-based) and other bio-based materials with at least 50% bio-based content.
  
• Employ wood-based materials and products comprising at least 50% of a major building component, such as framing, flooring, or millwork, which are certified by one of five listed sustainably harvested certification programs.
  
• Use materials made from plants harvested within a ten-year cycle for at least 2.5% of total materials value, based on estimated cost.
  
• Use salvaged, refurbished, refinished, or reused materials for a minimum of 5% of the total value, based on estimated cost of materials on the project.
  
• Use materials, equivalent in performance to virgin materials, with post-consumer or preconsumer recycled content value (RCV) for a minimum of 10% of the total value, based on estimated cost of materials on the project.
  
• Use cement and concrete made with recycled products, fly ash, raw or calcined natural pozzolan, blast furnace slag (as a lightweight aggregate) .
  
• Select materials for longevity and minimal deterioration under conditions of use.
  
• Select materials that require little, if any, finishing.
  
• Select materials that can be re-used or recycled at the end of their service life in the project.
  
• Select materials assemblies based on life cycle assessment of their embodied energy and/or green house gas emission potentials.

"Provide readily accessible areas that serve the entire building and are identified for the depositing, storage, and collection of non-hazardous materials for recycling, including (at a minimum) paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics and metals."

Environmental and health-related items establish specific limits on VOC emission of materials used within the structure, as well as regulate ventilation, CO2 emissions, tobacco smoke, lighting, outside views, and noise transmission.

Additional recommended measures include:

• If feasible, disassemble existing buildings instead of demolishing to allow reuse or recycling of building materials.
  
• Utilize a Frost-Protected Shallow Foundation.
  
• Use pre-manufactured floor and roof systems to eliminate solid sawn lumber whenever possible.

The code also identifies site improvements including bicycle storage and designated parking spots for low-emissions vehicles.

I have been advocating most of these measures at www.greenhomebuilding.com for many years now, and it is heartening to see them being officially sanctioned. This is a far-reaching and well-considered attempt by California legislators to establish requisites for living sustainably. If there are going to be building codes, they might as well be green! Yeah California!

Interesting article in the London Times about Barclays and its approach to branch re-design. It picks out Apple stores, The Science Museum and obviously, Tesco, as being inspirations for the project.

"At the beginning of last year, Ms Oppenheimer poached Helen Dodd, a retail design expert, from Tesco.

Ms Dodd, who has spent 20 years working out how to attract customers to shops and keep them there, trooped 250 Barclays customers and staff through the Northampton warehouse to test the new layout and technology.

Nothing was sacred, not even the good old British queue with the black tape barriers. The new Manchester branch is experimenting with a ying-yang-shaped queue, broken up by waist-height pillars housing computer games. The branch's space-age information desk is pure Apple store, while, according to Ms Dodd: “We're trialling a lot of different queueing methodologies - people do PhDs on this stuff.”

The childrens' play area is inspired by the Science Museum. There is no glass separating tellers from customers, to stop people from raising their voices, something that Ms Dodd believes makes banking more stressful.

Curves are used to make customers feel “warmer”, while the glass frontage will make women more inclined to enter. “At the moment, they don't feel welcomed into branches,” Ms Dodd said. Concierges, dressed in uniforms by the designer Jeff Banks, will issue customers with tickets telling them how long they must wait and even if they would be served more quickly if they went to another branch.

Getting the right doormat was key - customers like dry feet, so Ms Dodd found a mat that dried wet soles within four steps. The Manchester branch operates to the same timetable as other retailers, with late night and weekend opening."

Posted by Ed Cotton

Strawboard building panels are a kind of structural insulated panel (SIP) designed to replace 2x4 stud and drywall construction for both interior and exterior walls, as well as provide load and non-bearing ceilings, roofing, doors, flooring, and prefabricated buildings. These environmental friendly, solid panels are made of all natural fibrous raw materials, mainly wheat and rice straw. The durable panels feature thermal and acoustic insulation as well as fire and termite resistance and are available for a variety of applications to speed up the construction processes. While these have been used in over 20 countries for more than 50 years, strawboard panels have only been introduced to the U.S. in the past few years.

Strawboard panels have a solid core of compressed wheat or rice straw. High pressure and temperatures forces the straw to release a natural resin that binds the fibers together. The compressed panels are then covered with either paper liners or OSB that is adhered to both sides with water based non-toxic glue. The standard panel measures 4 feet by 8 feet by 2-1/4 inches to 8 inches, weighing from 140 lbs. to 440 lbs. each. Custom panel sizes are available ranging from 3 feet to 12 feet long.

The panel's high density and low oxygen content does not support combustion. Since the panels do not contain added resins, alcohol, or other chemicals, no flammable vapors are produced. The panels have an R-value of between 3 and 25, depending on the composition and thickness. For permanent protection against insects and fungal decay and additional fire resistance, the boron compound polybor can be factory added to the core.

The product's workability is similar to wood as it can be sawn, drilled, routed, nailed, screwed, and glued. Lightweight wall attachments such as shelf brackets, picture frames, mirrors, and towel bars can be attached directly to the panel.

Since straw is a renewable by-product of wheat and rice production that becomes available annually, it takes less acreage (by about half) to build an equivalent house than with standard lumber, and which would then potentially preserve that forest for ecological habitat and CO2 sequestration.

See www.stramit-int.com/ for panels available in Europe and www.agriboard.com for panels available in the U.S.