Studio Monte Rosa

According to the website of the Energy Science Center "...Studio Monte Rosa is a special mountain hut, which has been planned for the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) by the Department of Architecture.
The project covers from the conception to the final execution all the phases and technological blocks needed for the realization of this unique building.

In fact, the new Studio Monte Rosa is in the middle of a natural reserve with extreme alpine conditions, yet energetically to 90% self-contained and self-sufficient (90% autarchy).

Open Architecture Network

Open Architecture Network is an organisation started by Cameron Sinclair with the aim "....to generate design opportunities that will improve living standards for all" by providing an open-source platform through which ANYone can view, post, share, and adapt sustainable, humanitarian-based, scalable solutions.


The idea that designs and all associated documents can and should be shared within the decidedly proprietary architectural industry is truly innovative, and could very well aid in the reshaping of the entire architectural profession into a more socially-focused and responsible vocation.." according to theInhabitat blog

Most of the buildings are designed to be sustainable and affordable from the the construction to occupancy stage and are designed by the architects, designers, builders etc that are indegeious to where the building is proposed to be built.

Below is Cameron Sinclair's presentation at the TED conference


Photos are courtesy of Open Architecture Network

Building with Mud,Straw Bale and Timber can also help reduce our Carbon footprint

Those of us that have been in a mud or adobe built building on a hot day are sure to notice how cool (temperature) they are compared to a concrete block building. With global temperatures set to rise in the tropics we might see the need to promote such building construction especially for single storey dwelling's.

In an article blogged about in Treehugger.com they write about using mud bricks, stone and Straw bale to build walls with good Thermal mass. Combined with over hanged roofs,trees, Natural ventilation and adequate orientation against intense sun rays, we could see a new generation of homes that require no air-conditioning during the hot days and nights.

However improved Thermal mass means improved Passive Solar Heating which would also help reduce the cost of heating if adopted in houses in temperate and desert climates.
Photos courtesy of Treehugger.com. Images scanned from Building construction Illustrated by Francis D.K Ching and Cassandra Adams who is the editor of the Green Home Guide.

Tree Houses and Love Shacks

Ahadu Abaineh's ideology is to alleviate the housing crises endemic in Ethiopia and other developing countries as well as encourage re-forestation. His idea of making a building out of living trees and using appropriate technology to construct it impressed members of the jury of the AR+D Awards of 2003.

The Architectural Review says"... Ahadu Abaineh proposes to ameliorate the problem by growing trees, He suggests that trees will both greatly improve the urban ecological balance and form the structure of houses that can reduce consumption of expensive and environmentally destructive manufactured products. His proposal is simple: use growing trees to make the basic load-bearing structure of a house (basically one tree at each corner), create a frame out of untreated poles, then create walls out of a flexible and easily altered material like mud, used in traditional fashion. The only factory-made material needed extensively is the corrugated metal of the roof, which protects the fragile walls and channels rain to water the trees. The structure took six weeks to erect..."

Australian company Smartshax seems to have also been inspired by similar concepts in Aboriginal architecture and have come out with the "Love Shack" as reported in Inhabitat

Ganvié the "Venice of West Africa"

The architecture of most West African below sea level mangrove villages is dominated by buildings on stilts or poles. One of the most notable is the town of Ganvié, Republic of Benin, referred to by some as the "Venice of Africa".
Eco-architects looking to build in these locales can learn from the negligible environmental impact of the existing indigenous structures,and the successful incorporation of local materials. A unique aspect of these buildings in the West African context is the extensive use of bamboo, zinc roofing is where it exists a poor substitute for traditional straw thatch . The vernacular and the post modern(as shown in the ING hq) both have the common purpose of keeping the inhabitants in this post-Katrina world high and dry.

Photo Courtesy of Africa Photo Albums

Ndebele Building Ornamentation

The art tradition of house painting or traditional house decoration is common among the numerous cultures of North and sub Saharan Africa. The Ndebele, Mbari and Basotho people of South Africa produce one of the most beautifully painted houses by using bright colours and patterned ornamentation.

According to an excerpt from a webpage of the Eastern Illinois
University "...Ndebele painted houses are a "tradition" that is barely more than 50 years old, although there appears to be an earlier practice of painting house walls with earth-toned colors and an even earlier practice than that of decorating walls by scratching patterns into the wet plaster with one's fingers.

The earlier patterns are believed, unlike the more recent painted patterns, to have sacred powers and to have been made in response to demands by the ancestors...”

Photo Courtesy of Kristen Elsby (a.k.a Lil) and Kodia