Natural building
Natural building is a term to described design an construction techniques that make use of materials that occur naturally in the environment, with a minimum amount of secondary processing, usually local to the site and often organic or bio-based. These types of buildings are often, but not exclusively,hand-crafted and often favoured by self builders, environmental enthusiasts and sustainable design advocates.
There are many methods of construction that are associated with natural building, many of which are described in the book; Natural BuildingTechniques by Tim Woolley. Some of the most common construction techniques associated with natural buildings are: adobe, earth bermed, rammed earth, dry stone, cob, bamboo, cob, cordwood, dry stone, rammed earth, roundwood, straw bale and others.
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