Anthony Shadid's House Of Stone In Marjayoun, Lebanon

I recently became aware of a set of videos to accompany the new book House of Stone

by the recently departed Anthony Shadid,

which follows his remodeling of the family home in Marjayoun, Lebanon.

To see the whole set click on House of Stone Video Chapters 1-10.

The separate chapters are:

Chapter 1- 3:56 min.- Returning Home,

Chapter 2- 3:41 min.- Excavation,

Chapter 3- 4:05- Revealing Scars,

Chapter 4- 4:07min.- The Tiles,

Chapter 5- 4:49 min.- Renewal,

Chapter 6- 3:52- The Symphony,

Chapter 7- 4:35 min.- A New Identity,

Chapter 8- 3:15min- The Garden,

Chapter 9- 4:31 min.- Surrender and Reinvent,

Chapter 10- 5:29 min.- The End.

(In the above list I cannot find Chapter 3 as a separate video

 but it does show up in the Chapters 1-10 link.)

Anthony Shadid, an American by birth, 

was a Middle East journalist who died tragically last month,

of of an acute asthma attack while on assignment.

These videos provide a fascinating look at the remodeling process

that he goes through in bringing back the family home

 after years of abandonment.

I have not read the book but it looks good.

Enjoy.

The Year Of Mud

A newly added blog to the Blogs I Follow section at the bottom of the right side bar:

The Year of Mud: Cob and Natural Building.

Ziggy has been building with cob at his intentional community

Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage

and they will be sponsoring some workshops this year 

on timber framing and straw bale building

 so check out his site for more info on dates, etc.

Please keep an eye on my Blogs I Follow section 

as there is a nice cross section of blogs there 

and I like all of them.

Alcazaba Of Malaga, Spain

While we are missing in action in Baja California Sur

 I want to let you know about some blog posts that I want to acknowledge.

 Jeffrey Bale's World Of Gardens 

is putting out some of the best work in his field in the blogosphere.

Currently he is covering his trip to Spain with tours

 of some amazing historical, artistic, and gardening sites.

His latest post is Alcazaba Of Malaga, (photo above),

is nothing short of amazing. 

Of all the Blogs I Follow section at the bottom of my right side bar

I think Jeffrey is putting out some of the best work 

in terms of in depth design ideas

 and more importantly his willingness to share technique.

He only posts every couple of weeks but boy, 

the content that he puts out.

Please take a moment to check it out.

Lloyd Kahn Says It Best

While I am at it 

I saw this video of Lloyd Kahn on his blog Lloyd's Blog.

It really sums up my life in building in a way that Lloyd can best describe.

The link to his post is New Video of Our Homestead + '60s Revisited.

Thanks Lloyd.

Diebedo Francis Kere's Earthen Architecture

    I want to point out the post in Earth Architecture, 

the blog of architect Ron Rael,

 (which you may notice on the right side bar of this blog under Blogs I Follow)

 about the work of Diebedo Francis Kere in Burkina Faso.

 The post links to the article 

Diebedo Francis Kere Embues Mud With Poetry And Gives Africans A Future 

which is found in Co.Design. 

Take a look.

Michael T. Levy-Solar Architect

     This winter I have gotten to know Michael Levy and looking over his website (taoshighspirits.com) I can see that he has had quite a career in the alternative building and appropriate technology fields. As a solar architect, design and build contractor, and green builder he has worked and taught building with steel, adobe, masonry, strawbale, and insulated concrete forms (in this case rastra block). Among other things he has designed and built passive solar buildings and underground, both commercial, residential, and remodeling. Check out his website for much, much more. I look forward to catching up with him next time we are in Taos, New Mexico and learning more.

Sun Ray Kelley

I just became aware of Lloyd's Blog around the beginning of the New Year

and one of the first posts I saw was about SunRay and Bonnie 

who were on their way to Mexico.

Clay Culture: Plasters, Paints and Preservation

     Since we have been in Alamos, Sonora we were very surprised to run into Carole Crews. At the 2009 Adobe USA Conference put on by the Adobe Association of the Southwest, we took an adobe plastering workshop from Carole and she is truly a master at adobe plastering.

     So I was very excited to learn that she now has a book out: Clay Culture: Plasters, Paints and Preservation. I have not yet seen the book but as soon as we get back to the states I intend to pick up a copy.

     Even though we learned a lot about clay plasters in the workshop, the book will be a huge help in remembering the formulas and recipes that she has developed over a life time of working with adobe.

     Thanks Carol, for all you have done to advance the art and craft of building with adobe.

     

Thanks Lloyd

     Please click here to check out this short video about Lloyd Kahn. This sums up much of what I hope to say with this blog. His blog, Lloyd's Blog, is listed under my blog list on the right side bar. Enjoy.

House Of Rain

     Over the holidays, as we were visiting a friend, I picked up the book House Of Rain by Craig Childs and proceeded to read the whole book. An avid reader I don't normally read books but this one grabbed me. Craig tracks the path of the Anasazi across what we now call the American  Southwest and into modern Mexico.

     The reason I bring this up in this blog is that he talks a lot about the physical structures that the Anasazi built, the materials they used, the differences by location and time, and how they changed over the course of their existence. These are, of course, a large part of the record that is left from this extensive culture.

     Craig has many interesting ideas about these people, their history, and what may have happened to them that were new to me. I was not particularly knowledgeable about this field of study but I have much more to think about now as we tour this fascinating part of the world. Check it out.

Ethical Architecture by Professor Paul Lusk

     I was looking through a book on green remodeling when I noticed a link to Ethical Architecture, a site that features the work of Paul Lusk, an associate professor of architecture and planning at the University of New Mexico.

     This is a rather old site but he has some very interesting ideas he experimented with on grey water purification systems, composting toilets, building with adobe, cement ponds, solar greenhouses and cooling towers in an addition he added to his house in the southwest valley of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

     I did a google search on Paul Lusk and came up with the book Building to Endure: Design Lessons of Arid Lands available at Amazon. It looks interesting and no this is not an endorsement and no I receive no money for anything I put on this site. If anybody knows more about Paul Lusk I hope you will post it in comments.

How Buildings Learn By Stewart Brand

     In a post I did on 2/23/10, The Old Home Place In Ruins I mentioned the book by Stewart Brand called How Buildings Learn - What happens after they're built. There is a companion six part BBC tv series that goes with the book that is available on his web site.

The Book and DVD - Building with Awareness

  

      Last year when we were house sitting for some friends I noticed the book and DVD Building with Awareness, The Construction of a Hybrid Home, by Ted Owens. I read the book and thought it was terrific, praise that I don't normally put out there for how-to books. We are currently visiting our friends again and I was reminded of the book when I saw it sitting on the table. I have not seen the DVD but I would assume it is as good as the book. As an aside I want to mention that I receive no compensation for this or any other book or product I may review in this blog.

Influences

     I would like to do something a little bit different this time and that is talk about some of my influences in building.