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Popular Posts...

  • The Persian ice house, or how to make ice in the desert
    April 4, 2016

    The Persian ice house, or how to make ice in the desert

  • Build with Gambia Earth Architecture Workshop: Experimenting with local materials in rural Gambia
    August 18, 2019

    Build with Gambia Earth Architecture Workshop: Experimenting with local materials in rural Gambia

  • Earthbag domes of Dome Lombok: From ecotourism to earthquake-resistant housing
    November 17, 2019

    Earthbag domes of Dome Lombok: From ecotourism to earthquake-resistant housing

  • Architecture, sustainability, travel and this blog
    November 23, 2015

    Architecture, sustainability, travel and this blog

  • Bridge building with Toni Rüttimann and rural communities of Myanmar
    December 17, 2019

    Bridge building with Toni Rüttimann and rural communities of Myanmar

  • Floating villages and gardens of Inle Lake
    January 4, 2016

    Floating villages and gardens of Inle Lake

  • Traditional earth lodges of the Great Plains
    July 7, 2016

    Traditional earth lodges of the Great Plains

  • Searching for windcatchers in Hyderabad
    February 15, 2016

    Searching for windcatchers in Hyderabad

  • Providing clean drinking water to the people of Lake Atitlan
    June 19, 2017

    Providing clean drinking water to the people of Lake Atitlan

  • Ganvie, Africa’s largest lake village
    September 2, 2019

    Ganvie, Africa’s largest lake village

building materials

Rammed earth construction at a future ecocenter
Architecture, Vernacular architecture, Volunteering January 25, 2017

Rammed earth construction at a future ecocenter

1,336 Views 1 by Erika

Rammed earth is a popular sustainable building technique, and the key to building a quality rammed earth structure is understanding the materials.

Earthships and off-grid living on Taos mesa
Architecture, Volunteering September 22, 2016

Earthships and off-grid living on Taos mesa

2,635 Views 1 by Erika

Earthships have become the symbol of off-grid living, but the key to successful off-grid living lies in understanding design principles and the environment.

Development of Ancestral Puebloans and their architecture
Historic sites, Vernacular architecture September 10, 2016

Development of Ancestral Puebloans and their architecture

1,986 Views 1 by Erika

Ruins of Southwest USA tell the story of Ancestral Puebloans and the development of their architecture, partly driven by environmental factors like drought.

Traditional earth lodges of the Great Plains
Vernacular architecture July 7, 2016

Traditional earth lodges of the Great Plains

3,917 Views 3 by Erika

Indigenous people of the Great Plains of North America had a variety of dwellings adapted to the local climate, including circular dome-shaped earth lodges.

Turf houses, the traditional green buildings of Iceland
Vernacular architecture February 8, 2016

Turf houses, the traditional green buildings of Iceland

2,726 Views 1 by Erika

Icelanders have been building turf houses for as long as the country has been inhabited, and the buildings are well-adapted to the local environment.

The evolving Mongolian ger
Vernacular architecture January 25, 2016

The evolving Mongolian ger

1,045 Views 1 by Erika

The ger is the traditional shelter of the nomads of Mongolia, but today the nature of the ger is changing as it adapts to modern and urban life.

Cyclical design at the Icehotel
Architecture, Design January 11, 2016

Cyclical design at the Icehotel

411 Views 0 by Erika

The Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi is a work of art that brings out the unique properties of ice and snow in different ways every year.

METI Handmade School – design from tradition
Architecture, Social sustainability December 7, 2015

METI Handmade School – design from tradition

2,180 Views 1 by Erika

METI Handmade School in Bangladesh shows how modern technology and design can be used to improve traditional building techniques – and rural lives.

4500-year-old urban planning at Mohenjo-daro
Historic sites November 30, 2015

4500-year-old urban planning at Mohenjo-daro

6,488 Views 0 by Erika

The Bronze Age city of Mohenjo-daro is a reminder of how simple technology and materials can be used to provide the most basic human needs.

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About

Welcome to my blog! My name is Erika Alatalo and I’m a world traveler and humanitarian architect writing about sustainable development, architecture and travel. Check out this page for more information.

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