by Tarien Roux | Aug 9, 2017 | Anita Venter, Q&A, Sustainable human settlements
In honour of women’s day we asked Anita Venter a few questions about her grassroots development initiative using sustainable building methods in Bloemfontein. We have great admiration for the shack replacement initiative and what she has done to empower her change agents to become more self-sufficient and build community in her local context.
by Peter McIntosh | Feb 15, 2016 | Earth theory, Sustainable building
Choosing the right foundation: How materials, ground type, and sustainability shape your natural building’s stability Foundations for conventional building have, to a large extent, a one size fits all approach regardless of the type of ground you are building on i.e....
by Peter McIntosh | Sep 11, 2015 | Natural Building Materials & Tecnhiques, Passive Solar Design
Discover how to design an energy-efficient home that naturally stays warm in winter, cool in summer, and produces more energy than it consumes. Passive solar design is the starting point of sustainable building as it uses the energy provided by the sun and stored in...
by Peter McIntosh | Jun 16, 2015 | African Vernacular Architecture, Guest post, Indigenous Architectural Knowledge, Natural Building Materials & Techniques
The first thing that must be understood about African vernacular architecture is the great diversity that exists with both materials and techniques. People build according to climate but more importantly, with what materials are available locally.
by Peter McIntosh | Dec 7, 2014 | Adobe, Alternative building, Amanda de Gouveia, Dance like an elephant, Earth testing, Earth theory, Events, Heritage, Hermie Delport, Indigenous Architectural Knowledge, Laurie Simpson, Lebone Village Arts and Culture Centre, Lesley Freedman, Local materials, Malcolm Worby, Natural building, Natural building course, Natural building methods, Natural mortar mixes, Peter McIntosh, Qala Phelang Tala, Shack replacement, Start Living Green, Sustainable building
… and 2014 is no different. It is with pride and joy that we look back on the successes and new connections made during 2014. We launched our blog in March and have had over 5000 visits from people in 98 countries! The blog contributions included knowledge...