Grass Roof Designs

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This real grass roof designed by Ivan Tarulevicz is located in New Zealand and is called a living roof by local children.
This real grass roof designed by Ivan Tarulevicz is located in New Zealand and is called a living roof by local children.
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This eye-slit house only has room for one family but is very bright and sunny, making it perfect for farmers.
This eye-slit house only has room for one family but is very bright and sunny, making it perfect for farmers.
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Build this spiral house to save on water.  All of its water is recycled from the top down.
Build this spiral house to save on water.  All of its water is recycled from the top down.
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Unlike the eye-slit house, the terraced house is able to accommodate many people.
Unlike the eye-slit house, the terraced house is able to accommodate many people.
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Plants and vegatation of all types can be piled up in stories just like skyscrapers.
Plants and vegatation of all types can be piled up in stories just like skyscrapers.
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Underground towns are prominent in parts of China and Tunisia.
Underground towns are prominent in parts of China and Tunisia.
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Life in a city full of hanging tower garden homes would be much healthier than living in a city built with concrete.
Life in a city full of hanging tower garden homes would be much healthier than living in a city built with concrete.
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With pit houses, a traveler passing through sees smoke, but no houses.
With pit houses, a traveler passing through sees smoke, but no houses.

In amongst the testimonial from the Central American missionary who uses MOTHER EARTH NEWS as his chief teaching aid when working with the most primitive tribes still living in his section of the jungle … and the correspondence from the sheep station in Australia … and the mail from the holistic gardeners, Alaskan sourdoughs, New Mexico back-to-the-landers and all the rest ofMOTHER’s peoplethe other day, we found yet another interesting letter.

It was from Venice, Italy, and it was from a world traveling artist/inventor who calls himself Hundertwasser. “Your article about the grass roof of Mr. Davis in MOTHER EARTH NEWS is very interesting,” the letter began. “I’ve waited for the grass roof house to happen for a very long time. I was working on these and other ecological solutions about 20 years, and I am sending you a short documentation.”

Well now. That “short documentation” contained some very good ideas and color photographs of models of sod-roofed and underground buildings (even one real sod-roofed house) that we thought you’d like to see. So here are a few of those ideas. Click on the Image Gallery link to see all of the photos.— MOTHER

Eye-Slit House 

  • Published on Mar 1, 1978
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