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INTRODUCTION

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?>.

CATEGORIES

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.

Materials

Criteria for evaluating materials and deciding which to use

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:

Local and Vernacular Materials

  • Air-crete, hemp-crete
  • Local fuels

Wood and timber based construction practices

Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioning

Insulation

Lighting

Roofing

Windows and Doors

Siting and Landscape Architecture

Solar Energy

Water Use and Water-Using Appliances

Waste & Reuse

Check Architecture 2030 Palette for additional categories.

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

REFERENCES

RESOURCES

  1. ↑ See, for example, Wikipedia, Vernacular Architecture, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernacular_architecture; and Oxford Reference, Vernacular Architecture, https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803115517898. [both Web, retrieved April 2024]
Page data
Part of Ecovillages & Intentional Communities Energy and Climate Action Research Project
Keywords ecovillage, sustainable development, climate action
SDG SDG13 Climate action
License CC-BY-SA-4.0
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 0 pages link here
Views 86 page views (analytics)
Created December 14, 2023 by Tom Stanton
Last edit September 21, 2026 by StandardWikitext bot
Cite as TomStanton (2023–2026). "Ecovillage & Intentional Community Solutions: Building Materials and Methods". Appropedia. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
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