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Rachel Ross

Rachel Ross lives in a round eco-home on 1 ½ acres near an artsy town in B.C., the “little Berkeley of Canada.” She and her husband, Lars, own a green prefab homebuilding company, Mandala Homes. They design, build and ship round energy efficient homes to out-of-the-box-thinking clients all over the world. Together with their teenager, Poppy, they built the first ENERGY STAR qualified house in BC. It’s one of series of round buildings on their demonstration project of sustainable, artistic and natural building techniques and materials. Their home is their design innovation playground! Rachel is a writer (check out her blog), a Permaculture designer and serial entrepreneur.
wood yurt, two story round home, silo house

Why our ancestors built round houses - and why it still makes sense to build round structures today

The oldest forms of indigenous shelter were often round in shape. (Think the Southwest USA Hogan, Mongolian Yurt,...

micro home, home on wheels, caravan living

Build a Gypsy Wagon in the Woods - All It Takes Is Ingenuity, Elbow Grease And (mostly) Recycled Components!

The first thing you notice about this gypsy wagon is the surrounding smell of cedar forest and the sound of crashing...

microhome, tiny houses, home on wheels, history on wheels, living in tiny spaces, back yard studios, back yard office, european roulotte style, kitschy decor, back yard study, student houses, houses that roll, traveling, holiday adventures in a gypsy wagon,

Roulottes' Colorful European-Style Caravans are a Place to Call Home

When Hoekstra was a kid in the 60s, he saw these classic mobile caravans still in use and he promised himself...

absorb instead of reflect heat, cool concrete or stone pavers, create a cool roof, efficient snow melt system, LEED points, solar tax credits, Green Building, Green Launching Pad, green space, green technology, invisible solar collectors, modular systems, outdoor rooms, PV solar collectors, renewable energy, short ROI, solar hot water, solar panels, Solar Power, Sustainable Building, temperature converting, urban heat island effect, domestic hot water source

Turn Hot Patios Into Hot Water Using Hidden Temperature Converting Therma-HEXX Panels

Outdoor living and recreation spaces are popular for a number of reasons: they provide more urban green space,...

yurts, sustainable yurts, build your own green home, green homes, diy yurt, how to build a yurt, mandala homes, eco homes, low energy homes, round homes, energy star homes, eco yurts, building green, green design, eco architecture, rachel ross, Magnolia 2300

A Firsthand Look at the Magnolia 2300 Yurt – the First Energy Star Home in British Columbia

Rachel Ross: Meet our house, the Magnolia 2300. It’s a three bedroom, round, passive solar home located in...

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