Tuesday 11 December 2012

Icelandic horses

Mother and Foal:
Icelandic horses captured at the south coast of Iceland.

De Brazza's monkey

De Brazza's monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus) is an Old World monkey endemic to the wetlands of central Africa. It is one of the most widespread African primates that live in forests.

Nikulásargjá is one of the main attractions at Thingvellir National Park. The name is derived from when the District Commissioner Nikulás Magnússon drowned in Flosagjá during a summer night in 1742. Ever since then, the eastern branch has been known as Nikulásargjá. The water is up to 25 metres deep, 3-4° Celcius and very clear.

Endeavour Shuttle Launch

A tail of smoke chases the space shuttle Endeavour as it lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March
11, 2008. Photograph by: Robert Garrett

Cathedral Rock

The Mountain is named Cathedral Rock, It's in Sedona Arizona. This was during the Monsoon season which is really beautiful and it's a once in a lifetime picture.

The picture was taken in in early September of 2011 on a Bluray quality HD video camera.

Monday 10 December 2012

Stacked shoes art

Stacked shoes resembling a person sitting with elbows on knees

Sheep Highway

Sheep Highway, Ireland

creative art

Gullfoss Icelan

Gullfoss, Icelan

watermelon carving art

Watermelon carving art

Male Atoll

Male Atoll, Maldives

Foggy Night

Foggy Night, Chicago, Illinois

Sculpture made of plastic bottles

Sculpture made of plastic bottles, Rio de Janeiro

Heaven Gate Mountain

Heaven Gate Mountain. Zhangjiajie City, China

Friday 7 December 2012

Wind Cathedral

Wind Cathedral, Namibia

Rock formation

Rare rock formation in France, Massif de la Chartreuse.

Wednesday 19 September 2012

woodland house

Low impact woodland house (Wales, UK)

Location: Wales, UK

Architect: Simon Dale

Purpose: private house

More info: From the author: “You are looking at pictures of a house I built for our family in Wales. It was built by myself and my father in law with help from passers by and visiting friends. 4 months after starting we were moved in and cosy. I estimate 1000-1500 man hours and £3000 put in to this point. Not really so much in house buying terms (roughly £60/sq m excluding labour).”

“The house was built with maximum regard for the environment and by reciprocation gives us a unique opportunity to live close to nature.” he says.

This building is one part of a low-impact or permaculture approach to life. This sort of life is about living in harmony with both the natural world and ourselves, doing things simply and using appropriate levels of technology.

When asked why he is doing this, he gave this answer: “ It’s fun. Living your own life, in your own way is rewarding. Following our dreams keeps our souls alive.”

Some key points of the design and construction:

Dug into hillside for low visual impact and shelter
Stone and mud from diggings used for retaining walls, foundations etc.
Frame of oak thinnings (spare wood) from surrounding woodland
Reciprocal roof rafters are structurally and aesthaetically fantastic and very easy to do
Straw bales in floor, walls and roof for super-insulation and easy building
Plastic sheet and mud/turf roof for low impact and ease
Lime plaster on walls is breathable and low energy to manufacture (compared to cement)
Reclaimed (scrap) wood for floors and fittings
Anything you could possibly want is in a rubbish pile somewhere (windows, burner, plumbing, wiring…)
Woodburner for heating - renewable and locally plentiful
Flue goes through big stone/plaster lump to retain and slowly release heat
Fridge is cooled by air coming underground through foundations
Skylight in roof lets in natural feeling light
Solar panels for lighting, music and computing
Water by gravity from nearby spring
Compost toilet
Roof water collects in pond for garden etc.

Main tools used: chainsaw, hammer and 1 inch chisel, little else really. Oh and by the way I am not a builder or carpenter, my experience is only having a go at one similar house 2yrs before and a bit of mucking around inbetween. This kind of building is accessible to anyone. My main relevant skills were being able bodied, having self belief and perseverence and a mate or two to give a lift now and again.

(image credits: Simon)