Building with Earth: Design and Technology of a Sustainable Architecture

The two-storey residence, built of sun-dried,

unstabilised and locally made adobes, pro-

vides spectacular views from its terraces

and roof top of the Gallina Canyon in the

Sangre De Christo Mountains, north of Taos,

New Mexico. It displays several features of

environment-conscious design, such as pas-

sive solar heating through a combination of

direct solar gain with a thermal chimney,

which distributes warm air to the cooler

rooms on the north side of the house. Elec-

tricity is backed up by a photovoltaic sys-

tem, and water from the roofs is harvested

for gardening purposes. Interior surfaces

show on-site mud plaster finishes, flagstone

floors and recycled oak beams.

162 Built examples

Residence and studio at Gallina

Canyon, New Mexico, USA

Architect: ONE EARTH DESIGN, Joaquin Karcher,

Taos, NM, USA

Builder: Aqua Fria Construction, Ed Baca, Taos,

NM, USA

Completion: 2001

Area: 390 m^2