Building Materials and Methods

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Ecovillages and Intentional Communities frequently employ building materials, methods, and styles that are variously sustainable, restorative, and often use locally available materials and methods. The highly local techniques are often called "vernacular," meaning .^[1] Although definitions vary widely, the term vernacular architecture is generally understood to mean local or regional, at least somewhat less formal and academic, and can refer to both historical, classical, modern, or even futuristic. Here, this Solutions Library includes many ideas about vernacular architecture, drawn from both experiences in ecovillages and intentional communities and borrowing from literature and information sources about particular techniques. Eventually, this database of vernacular approaches should be searchable by geographic region, climate type, available materials, <and what else?>.

Editor note: Maybe the categories need database treatment for searching and cross referencing for ideas that cross into multiple different categories? For now, let's start by listing relevant categories.

There are several checklists and decision frameworks available to guide decisions about buiilding materials for all varieties of purposes, including building materials, materials from which products are made (perhaps depending on the durability and duration of use), and materials used in building shared infrastructures. Primary design guidelines and frameworks are indexed here: Ecovillages & Intentional Communities Energy and Climate Action Research Project#:~:text=DESIGN GUIDES AND FRAMEWORKS. Of particular value for selecting materials are these:

• • Architecture 2030 design palette -- Architecture 2030 and 2030 Districts
  • American Association of Retired Persons (AARP): AARP Livable Community Resources
  • Biomimicry
  • Circular Economy
  • Domicology
  • Donut Economics
  • LivingFuture.org (Resources include the Living Building Challenge, Living Product Challenge, and Living Community Challenge).
  • The Natural Step

• Air-crete, hemp-crete
• Local fuels

• https://nmite.ac.uk/skills/timber-ted
• Mass Timber

• Neighborhood and Community Shared Heating and Cooling Facilities
• High efficiency equipment
• Heat pumps
• Heat recovery or thermal-exchange ventilation systems

• NexTek power systems DC lighting.
• Emergency lighting.
• Light tubes.
• Occupancy Sensors, other sensors and controls.

• Standing seam metal roofs.
• ATC insulation for metal roofs. https://apptechcollaborative.org/design-library/

• High efficiency (Low-E) windows.
• "Tunable" windows (Michigan company with windows that are adjustable for heat and light gain and retention, versus reflection).
• Clear windows allow visible light while also collecting solar PV energy. Two different technologies.

• Surface Water Management

• Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV)
  • Solar awnings
  • Solar roofing
  • Solar siding
  • Solar windows. Windows that are solar collectors (two different technologies, one from Ubiquitous Energy).
• Passive solar

Check Architecture 2030 Palette for additional categories.

Editor Note: Check Architecture 2030 Palette, Living Buildings Institute, Etc., for additional categories.

• 2030 Palette, Carbon Smart Materials Palette [web page, retrieved February 2024], https://www.materialspalette.org/
• Ekodome geodesic dome construction kits, for greenhouses, housing, "glamping." https://ekodome.com/.
• Energie Sprong building envelope retrofits. https://energiesprong.org/
  • Egerter, Amy, and Martha Campbell. 2020. Prefabricated Zero Energy Retrofit Technologies: A Market Assessment. Report by Rocky Mountain Institute for U.S. Department of Energy, DOE/GO-102020-5262. https://+www.nrel.gov/docs/fy20osti/76142.pdf
  • https://energiesprong.org/?country=new-york
• Living Buildings Challenge, a project of the International Living Future Institute, https://living-future.org/lbc/
• Green Building, including natural building practices - cob, compressed-earth bricks, earth-bag, hemp, straw bale, etc.
  • Alternative Building
• Low- and Net-Zero Emissions Energy Designs
  • American Institute of Architects, Let’s make carbon neutrality a reality [web page, retrieved February 2024], https://www.aia.org/design-excellence/climate-action/zero-carbon
  • Project Drawdown, Net Zero Buildings [web page, retrieved February 2024], https://drawdown.org/solutions/net-zero-buildings
  • World Green Building Council, Advancing Net-Zero [web page, retrieved February 2024], https://worldgbc.org/advancing-net-zero/
• Passive solar design
• Passive House design.

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• Rancho Mastatal, Costa Rica. https://ranchomastatal.com/natural-earth-building