Unique Construction Techniques

Straw Bale Buildings

• Making a dwelling from dried plant material is nothing new - just take a look at the sod houses of the prairie or the thatched roof cottages of England. However, using the tied up bales of straw (not to be confused with hay) is a creative construction idea that has flourished in modern times. Each bale acts as a building block similar to a brick. With a protective water barrier, the bales can be stacked like cement blocks or used as building units placed in between post and beam framing members.

Sculptured Adobe

• The Pueblo Indians learned how to build with adobe bricks from the Spanish. As a result, these functional and economical type of dwellings can be found in many places of the Southwest. An adobe is nothing more than a mixture of mud and straw, placed in a rectangular mold and sun-dried with the wet adobe mixture serving as a mortar. Instead, of putting together a standard four-cornered structure, contemporary designers have taken to making circular and irregularly shaped buildings. The plastic nature of the materials lends itself very well to creating this type of structure.

Rubber Tire Homes

• Excess non-degradable rubber tires have become a major environmental headache and in some cases a fire hazard. In drier regions, some enterprising builders and architects have found creative ways to fill each tire with rammed earth and then stack each unit in alternating rows, as if they were bricks. Buildings made in this way tend to have very thick walls that are covered with earth or coated with adobe or even concrete. When properly designed and constructed a rubber tire structure can make for a liveable home.

Carved Rock

• Arid climates that support soft durable rock formations are ideal locations for hand carved caves that can function as a year-round living space. Many of these structures date back for thousands of years, when they were constructed for basic shelter by older cultures. A visit to a locale, like Southern Spain, will reveal that this construction technique has not died out, but is in fact thriving. In fact, cave homes in Spain have deeds, property rights and are often designed and completed by skilled craftsmen.