Hello,

I just saw that Shelter has a blog about builders who having fun building. I do that in France and sometimes elsewhere in the world, sometimes with my partner, sometimes by myself.

If you want to see, you can visit anarchitecturetomas2.blogspot.com

My partner and I restored an old bread oven in northern Drôme, France, that was damaged by the rain and exposure, extended it to make a small bedroom for a guesthouse. The idea was to create a room for lovers, close to the woods and far from the road. The special design with bottles is inspired from the wind and a feather because the guest house is called The Feather’s Inn. Most of the building materials were repurposed (tiles, bottles, door, wood), or found on site (earth, stones). The design is inspired by the local style of building with stones on the base and earth on the top, but adapted with a contemporary touch.

–Tomas Strac,
carpenter and big fan of Shelter’s books

Note: A unique small home on wheels by Tomas and Stephanie are one of the features in our forthcoming book, Rolling Homes.

Article in The Guardian, words and great photos by Gabrielle Canon, Tuesday May 11, 2021

Homeless Oaklanders were tired of the housing crisis. So they built a “miracle” village.

Tucked under a highway overpass in West Oakland, just beyond a graveyard of charred cars and dumped debris, lies an unexpected refuge.

There’s a collection of beautiful, small structures built from foraged materials. There’s a hot shower, a fully stocked kitchen and health clinic. There’s a free “store” offering donated items including clothes and books, and a composting toilet. There are stone and gravel paths lined with flowers and vegetable gardens. There’s even an outdoor pizza oven.

The so-called ‘Cob on Wood’ center has arisen in recent months to provide amenities for those living in a nearby homeless encampment, one of the largest in the city. But most importantly, it’s fostering a sense of community and dignity, according to the unhoused and housed residents who came together to build it. They hope their innovative approach will lead to big changes in how the city addresses its growing homeless population.…

Now, roughly five months since they broke ground, a community has coalesced around the space that not only hosts events and workshops but also offers food, hygiene, and skill-sharing to the estimated 300 people who live in nearby encampments.

‘It is working,’ Schusterman says, smiling broadly. ‘This is the vision we had and it is working like a miracle.’

(I’m not showing photos due to copyright considerations.)

From Maui Surfer