When I drew the buildings posted here for the last two days, I dreamed of architecture that would be in greatest possible harmony with nature. It somehow made sense that buildings could be layers upon layers upon layers of natural material and not just steel and glass and scrap wood. : )
Little did I know that buildings that are incredibly similar to my little drawings were being built in various parts of the world for years. I came across a little photograph in the upcoming issue of the New York Times Magazine and I think you will like what you'll see as much as I do... Take a look at these incredible houses. Developed by Nader Khalili to provide housing for space travelers and space settlers of the Moon and even Mars, these houses are highly portable before assembly and just incredibly in harmony with nature after being built. The material used to build these structures is affordable (tubes for a "three bedroom" house is about $1500) and biodegradable.
Users fill the provided biodegradable plastic tubes with "whatever they find on the ground", mostly soil that is already there, for free, no purchase, no transportation, barely any tools necessary. The soil filled tubes then become the walls of little buildings that just feel like shelter and are somehow really beautiful. They remain cool in the summer time and provide warmth in the winter time. Why would anybody still want to use Asbestos and Formaldehyde to put their house together? : ) I am amazed, in a really, really good way.
Visit CalEarth.org to find out more.