Natural Architecture

Natural architecture is the work of architects and artists that take natural beauty and combine it into their masterpieces. This idea was developed to bring humans closer to nature, designer homes and buildings that blend in with their natural surroundings and use living materials to make the most spectacular architectural designs.

Natural architecture is when the surroundings are used as the framework when designing a new building and usually incorporates a team of architects and artists.

Where Did it All Start?

Natural architecture was the design idea of architect Frank Lloyd Wright back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Before his death in the 1950’s Frank Lloyd Wright had designed some of the most spectacular natural architecture buildings and homes.

This carried on into the 1960’s when an artist group called the land art movement started creating spectacular art using only natural resources.

Falling Water House

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The most popular of all the natural architectural designs is Falling Water House which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935. This property in Pennsylvania in the USA took two years to build. The house sits over a waterfall and Wright used this as the basis of the home.

The home has been listed as one of the twenty eight places to visit before you die.

Toad Hall

Toad Hall was designed by Patrick Dougherty in 2004. Dougherty uses the natural resources around him to create spectacular masterpieces. Most of his work uses wood which is weaved together making human sized homes. Whilst the building themselves are uniquely beautiful, they are designed to disintegrate, and become one with nature again!

Reed Chamber

Reed Chamber was designed by Chris Drury in 2002. The UK artist uses wood, reeds and natural surroundings to create some of the most beautiful natural architecture, which aims to reflect human interaction with nature. Reed Chamber is a spectacular demonstration of his use of reeds blending into the natural surroundings.

Taliesin West

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This resort in western Arizona is another of the Frank Lloyd Wright designs. He was inspired by the rugged landscape that surrounded the area and designed a property which not only blends into the surrounding landscape, but looks as though it is growing out of the earth.

This property is made of sand and stone combined with a canvas roof. All the materials come from the surrounding desert, and Wright was keen to harness as much natural light as possible in order to aid environmental efforts.

Nest House

Nest House was another of Patrick Dougherty’s designs. Located in southern Indian, this property is made from a variety of woods all weaved together in a selection of huts, cocoons and buildings. All made to human size, here Dougherty combines his carpentry skills with his love for the environment, to create a spectacular wonderland of natural architecture at its best!

As global warming becomes an increasing concern world over, the desire of a few designers to reconnect with our natural surroundings, is a pursuit we should champion. Their work aims to provide a framework for others, to make others, us, consider our natural surroundings, and challenge our preconceived ideas. Should our buildings last forever, or should they evolve over time, passing back into nature, as we ourselves do too?

Article contributed by Distinctive Doors.

Great Ideas For Your Everyday Items

I am sure that you have heard some of these tips but they are really worth repeating and hopefully will help you save some money. Enjoy!

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold! (But you can scrape off any mold and still eat the cheese without changes in flavor!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and stronger flavored.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

To make scrambled eggs or omelets rich, add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic.

Reheat leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, on med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza.

Easy Deviled Eggs: Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag, seal, mash, add remainder of ingredients, keep mashing, mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw the bag away!

Expanding Frosting: When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes for the same price. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread: To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away: Plant your plants in the ground; work the nutrients in your soil. Then wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go, cover with mulch, and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant: squirrels won’t come near it.

Flexible vacuum: To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip or slacks to eliminate static cling. It works; you will not have a clingy skirt or dress, or slacks when wearing panty hose; … Ta D A ! … Static is gone.

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

De-fog your windshield: Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Re-opening envelopes: If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily. Only for old- fashioned “lick-type “mucilage envelopes!

Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth.

Goodbye Fruit Flies: To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2″ with A pple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants: Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it ‘home,’ can’t digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don’t have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

Drop a small object on the carpet and can’t find it. Place panty hose over the end of the vacuum hose and start vacuuming. The panty hose will keep it from getting sucked into the vacuum.

Need to cut some corn off the cob. Use your Bundt pan. Place the ear on the opening in the center of the pan, and as you slide the knife down the ear, all the kernels will collect in the main part of the pan.

Marshmallows can cure a sore throat. Perfect for kids who don’t like medicine.

I hope you found these helpful. Let me know if you use any of these.

……. as the green future unfolds.

What You Ought To Know About Lemons

DON’T WASTE THAT LEMON PEEL!

Information  on using the whole lemon vs. only the juice…

Lemon productions have became more and more abundant around the world because of its nutritious contents. Lemons are used in many different ways in lemon industries and factories, but not among households.

How do you eat or taste lemon in your house?

Do you just squish a few drips on your whisky, vegetable salad, bread, ice cream, roasted meat, cake, baked chicken, fruit drinks, or to your other favorable dishes?? If so, what a waste! (more…)