Anyone who has been drawn to the beauty of straw bale buildings has surely come across the work of Bill and Athena Steen. Their book, The Straw Bale House, written nearly 20 years ago, sparked the modern-day “straw...

In the words of Michael Pollan, “Settling on the site of a new building is a momentous act, at least if you stop to think about it.”¹ It can, and should, be a relatively lengthy process, one where a person takes the time and care to observe the site...

I made my first earthen floor about 5 years ago. It was a simple floor but had an elegant beauty about it. It had a certain softness too, unlike concrete. I recall how it warmed in the sun and from the fireplace next to it, storing the heat for many hours. Several years have...