He has designed and been part of the building of "earthships" and earth ship communities in a place called Taos in New Mexico (which looks like a dry godforsakenly wretched barren place to me!).
At the end of the 90s he was stripped of his architectual license because experiemental housing does not fit in with the codes, rules and regulations in most places. He then spent 8 or so years trying to get a bill passed in New Mexico to allow people to create and experiment with new sustainble housing concepts on test sites (we test all sorts of other things like BOMBS.. so why not housing...) his houses are great - they need no power or sewage or water lines. They incorporate greenhouse features to grow a range of vegetables and fruit.
His designs are very popular in other places in the world and after the tsunami he was asked to go and help people rebuild sustainable housing - also in places hit by hurricanes.
When the architectual board in the US saw the work he had done for the boxing day tsunami people they gave him back his license and soon after that the bill passed in his state to allow sustainable housing testing.
He builds the houses with earth packed tyres, earth and plastic bottles and beer cans. They are amazing structures (although some are pretty 'ugly' I guess as they are free form structures and very unconventional).
You can check out the website and watch the trailer here
I am seriously considering sending him a wee thankyou card after watching the frustration and resilience he showed through the whole process of dealing with the senate over the experimental housing bill in New Mexico. GOODNESS!
No comments:
Post a Comment