Designing Ecological Habitats - Gaia Education

92 Designing ecological Habitats
The Earth Sanctuary
at Findhorn – a
famous example of
building with what
you have.
Social Aspects
We are what we live in. When we plan our buildings, we are also planning
what kind of society we want to create. We make the buildings, and then the
buildings make us!
Which Materials?
Many modern building techniques are infatuated by the global dimension.
What is suitable for Rangoon is also thought to be good in Reykjavik.
The way to overcome this is to look at local indigenous traditional techniques:
• What materials did they use and how?
• Are these materials still available?
• Has the environment changed, the forests cut down, the quarries
built over or used for landfills?
• Are the traditional materials privatised and therefore not available?
Countries in Europe or North America have large amounts of high-grade
waste which could be used for building. For example, at Earthaven Ecovillage
in North Carolina, one building was based on using crates thrown out by a
local business, the free materials determining the shape and construction of the
building. Hurdal ecovillage in Norway made a deal with a local manufacturer
of doors and windows to buy discontinued models and designed many of
their initial buildings around the sizes and shapes of these windows and doors.
Our design would be based upon balancing available materials and
ambient conditions.