22 Shelter
Ecological building design is a vast subject, with many great architects and builders with a long history of innovation and demonstration. Ecological architecture is it’s own field that overlaps with permaculture in many places. Natural and environmentally sound building practices are a hallmark of many Permaculture sites. The video below is a very basic introduction, with the links below filling in some more detail about specific building materials and systems for the major climate zones.
Featured Links
Additional Resources
The field of ecological housing design and building is vast, and this is not a complete list of resources or information. This is a collection of a bit of information for each major climate zone, and then more information that applies to multiple climate zones. Browse these links, and if you’re interested, keep searching on your own. There’s a lifetime’s worth of amazing information out there!
Tropics
Temperate
Drylands
- What is Super Adobe?
- The Berber Cave Homes of Tunisia
- Patterns of Sustainability in Desert Architecture
Multi-Climate
- Tiny House Movement
- 50 Impressive Tiny Houses That Maximize Function and Style
- Natural Homes from Around the World
- Overview of Natural Building Materials
- Auroville Earth Institute
- Building Bale Walls by Tim Farrant (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
Cob
- The Cob Builders Handbook by Becky Bee (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- Cob and Earthen Plaster Example
- How to Build a Cob House with Cob Construction
- Mud and Wood: What is Cob?
- Making a DIY Earthen Floor
- Build Naturally with Cob (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
Adobe
- Adobe Floor Basics and How To
- Earthen Floor Recipe from Sustainable Nations
- Building an Adobe House (inactive link as of 05/17/2021)
- Making Adobe Bricks
