Brad Lancaster models desert sustainability

Water capture, desert gardening, and tiny house -- all in urban Tucson

Fascinating. Definitely not a tiny house, but...

Not a mansion -- not anything I've seen before. Interesting way of living.

Very impressive

for a guy with tan lines. Although, it would be a part of the daily routine for much of the world.


I wonder if he learned how to do all of this by watching YouTube videos.

Lean living

I've been anticipating this documentary. It's two hours long so I'll be watching it in segments. No rush.

Rule-bending builders are attempting to construct smarter homes better suited to the current situation.

The most beautiful container building

Irish architect outdoes himself -- for less than $200,000 (US). Stunning.

Eichler Homes

As a child I often went after school to play with friends at their homes. Several of them lived in the "Eichler houses." Most people in our very conventional San José, California neighborhood thought that the Eichlers were weird. But I really loved them. And as I look back on it now this is perhaps where I formulated my idealized house (which I've never owned or even tried to build) which totally blurs the lines between the inside and the outside.

Ashram on wheels

This looks totally doable.

How fun is your living space?

Wow! Talk about design and engineering!

Container community

I've been intrigued by container houses for years. This video actually got me thinking in some new directions. A common kitchen for multiple units. A common laundry for several containers...

Homelessness -- some facts and figures

20ft off-grid Kiwi container home

Incredible creativity -- off-grid -- entire house is running on 12-volt power. Beautifully done.

The Low Line

Creative way to squeeze in some additional protected green space -- recycling what was wasted. I'm wondering, too, if some of the abandoned malls around the US couldn't be repurposed in a similar way -- perhaps creating some housing in abandoned stores opening up to enclosed green spaces. Who knows, maybe it might make sense to reintroduce some neighborhood retail activity in the midst of it all.

Inspiring shipping container home designs

There are some great container home designs in this Jetson Green article. The one that captures my imagination today is the Tim Palen Studio in the Mojave Desert.

More pictures

Indian container home

This family did a great job. Very creative and functional design -- especially in light of strong cultural expectations about what a house should look like.

50+ container houses

Which do you prefer -- the houses that maintain the raw shipping container facade or those with a more finished exterior?

Legos for grown-ups

The Housetrike

The Housetrike is a fascinating camper bike idea for nomads. I like it a lot and I think I'd like it even more if it didn't look so much like a coffin. It seems, too, that it would be hard to stay under the radar if you're pedaling one of these things around town. Cities are growing increasingly hostile toward urban campers and homeless people so it is important to blend in. Still, it's a very intriguing tiny house -- very tiny.

Shipping container homes sampler

Yes, I have an inexplicable fascination with shipping container construction. Lots of great ideas in this slideshow sampler of homes made from re-purposed  containers.

Hobbit Holes

Talk about finding a niche! I'm not sure that I'd want to live in a Hobbit Hole. I have nothing against Hobbits -- but they are short. And my legs no longer bend or stoop very easily. However, I appreciate the creativity in these structures. They are imaginative and kid friendly.  And I get the feeling that these people really enjoy building them. That is noteworthy in and of itself.

Pallets for transitional housing

I love the practicality and creativity -- that something significant can be done on the grassroots level to assist people in crisis -- without a lot of bureaucracy. And it involves recycling (upcycling)!

See the I-BEAM Architecture and Design story