In the south of Burkina Faso, west Africa, near the border with Ghana lies a circular village called Tiébélé. Home of the Kassena people, one of the oldest ethnic groups that settled in Burkina in the 15th century. Tiébélé is known for its creative Gourounsi architecture and elaborately decorated walls.
Just about everyone learned in their early geography classes that the Nile Valley was once a fertile haven. Crops proliferated on the green banks due to natural flooding that deposited rich nutrients, although occasionally these floods inundated and destroyed crops as well, and the land of the Pharaohs was a mecca for agriculture. But when […]
Israeli designer Ohad Lustgarten designed Shade and Shelter as part of his final project at Shenkar College of Design, the same center that spawned living lace made from bacteria. The six foot tall prototype constructed out of cardboard looks like a giant centipede when it is unwound but then coils up to provide a lightweight […]
Hassan Fathy, an Egyptian architect saw the value of natural building long before it became a fad in the west. Green Prophet has railed against projects like Dubai Burj Tower. We have pounded our chests at the audacity of Masdar City’s “zero” footprint claim, and we have decried the potential consequences of unsustainable approaches to […]
Ten miles from Mexico, nestled in a humid valley in Arizona we arrive in Canelo for a straw bale building workshop. This is a place where 11 year olds drive, breakfast with songstress Linda Ronstadt is not uncommon, and people from all walks of life share a common ground. The workshop hosts, Bill and Athena […]