Oliver Swann, the fellow behind NaturalHomes.org, sent me news today about progress at Green Hamlet, an ecovillage under construction in Pupki, Poland. They have planning permission to build four buildings but the best news is that tiny homes under 35 square meters (376 square feet) can be built without official permission. The larger buildings will serve as the shared spaces (main house, barn, meeting hall and workshop). The smaller buildings will be constructed using natural building methods like cord wood and straw bales.
In July 2010 four 5-day construction workshops will be lead by Tony Wrench. You can see the natural houses Tony builds on his website, That Roundhouse. Below is a short video that shows the step-by-step construction of a cord wood roundhouse with a reciprocal roof.
While cord wood roundhouses don’t suit all aesthetic tastes they are a remarkable example of truly sustainable architecture and that a home can pretty much be built out of anything. For more information about the upcoming workshops visit the Green Hamlet website. Thanks for the tip Oliver!
would this natural home work for someone sensitive to mold/alergies? I love it, I have lived in the desert the last 15 years not so sure how well i would do in woods setting but I do miss it,I was raised in northeast PA.
thanks for sharing
peace and joy
S
Hi Susan,
I don’t know. I bet it would be great for someone with chemical sensitivities, but I think it would depend on the set of allergies. Natural homes like this are not at all air tight like those modern marvels, they breath and are much more in balance with the natural setting. This can have some very much alive side effects sometimes 🙂 especially in moist climates. I imagine molds turn up from time to time.
On the topic of allergies… and you’ve probably heard this before, but have you tried adding local honey to your diet? When I tried it myself I got a lot of relief from my allergies. They also say that about eating locally grown foods, cures many allergies. I’m no expert, but seems logical that it would help build a natural resistance to the pollins around us.
-Michael
Hi, congratulations on your work. I’m david from Chile and I am interested in building a green roof.
I want to know which is the material located just under the grass roof and above the black plastic. the white cloth that is?
thanks
wow, this is such a beautiful little home! My husband and I are young (22 and 23) but we have old souls. We live in the southeastern united states and are planning a homestead. Were not sure what type of house we want to live in but we do know that we have plenty of natural forest to use in the construction of it. I do think we would want a home a bit bigger and all that but we may use this idea to build a home away from home somewhere else on the property..51 acres 🙂 Thanks for that video, I love it!