Inspired by how birds build their nests, Jack Becker and Andrew Linn wove the partition walls of their Grass House out of willows and built the structure from bamboo. As the first code-compliant bamboo home in the US, the tall and thin ADU feels different.
When you enter the space, it smells of drying grasses, in stark contrast to the more typical new home odors of paint and drywall. “Basically every surface in this space is a natural organic material, largely cellulose based,” explains Becker “So everyone comments that they like the way it smells when they come in.”
Jack Becker was originally attracted to the wooden workers’ homes built in the 1850s in DC’s Anacostia neighborhood, but when he found a fixer upper across the street from Frederick Douglass’ 1870s home he knew it was the spot to experiment with an all-natural home.
By tearing up the driveway, they created space for an Accessory Dwelling Unit built from a panelized bamboo system for its structural walls and floors and ceilings. The willow dividing wall spans the 3 floors of the narrow structure supported by just tiny threaded steel rods. Everything here is natural and salvaged, like shelving from the raw-edged off-cuts of the lumber used for the stairs.
The lamps are made from mycelium that has colonized agricultural waste and because the mycelium is chitin (what crabs and exoskeletons are made out of) it’s “entirely non-combustible.” Becker explains that they tested the material using the same torch used to char their cladding and it wouldn’t ignite.
On *faircompanies https://faircompanies.com/videos/tranquil-backyard-homestudio-is-natural-materials-masterclass/
35 Comments
This one is really well done. Love the layout, the use of materials, the simplicity yet subtle complexity. Fantastic use of materials. It would be interesting to see actual costs. (I am a builder but in a more conventional format).
the ceiling reminds me of my parents home in Indonesia
Wow!
So smart that most of the unique personal details that make the place such a statement can so easily be modified for the next people who might move in and want to get middle class fancy on the place. Some drywall here, some paint there and it can be made more 'normal' without much fuss. Really enjoyed the guest, great speaker, knew his building well.
i know where my man got at least some of his out of the box thinking from. that light in the basement looks to be sealed in a tupper wear tub and stuck on a shelf in a temperature, humidity, and light controlled environment.
Fantastic and truly inspired work ❤❤
Very interesting, love the history of the Frederick Douglass home. Nice presentation, thank you Kirsten ~
So so good
loved what he had to say at the very end
Wow, I love this. Thanks for sharing!!!
Again…! Amazing use of salvage natural resources! This is another favourite home for me. Thanks for sharing.❤️
Love the adu.. and all the wonderful concepts .. truly a master class!!
but the poor Victorian not so much the exposed lath looks like a wound .. love the subflooring and maybe someday someone will close the wound and take off the gawdawful asbestos siding outside.. No Victorian was born that way..
Sorry not one of my faves in looks, plus looks like the perfect nest for squirrels and mice
Everything has been said but I just had to add my thanks and appreciation for one the the best vids I have ever seen. The filming and editing was brilliant .. Jack was animated and absolutely steeped in knowledge and experience.. you both deserve awards in your respective fields for this little gem. So so delightful and insightful!
Just beautiful!! ❤
Great vid! Love the tree w/ the pink flowers
Guy really knows his stuff! He could have his own channel/podcast. Very articulate.
Cool home.
Enjoyable..very creative this house combined designs
I love the small dwelling. It's beautiful and practical and unique. Maybe they don't have any vehicles because I noticed a no parking sign in front of the house . The repurposed driveway space adds to the quality of life for the inhabitants.
I really love that they used the natural beauty of the material, that's all you need!
Super cool! Just about the only worry I have is that the siding "one inch off the walls with ventilation" is that sounds like an excellent home for all manner of small guests 🙂
I like it
In a world – where everything is cookie cutter – the go for it / try it – creative spirit shows new ways of exploration – coolest of all time !! He has amazing intelligence of materials
Lemme smell dat houze
Trippy space. The craftsmanship and artistry is top notch.
Yea!! First bamboo house on the east coast……just beautiful!
I love how they used lighting in the basement stairs and storage area and the cubbies full of architectural dioramas! 🙌
Woohoo! Water harvesting!!!🎉
Bamboo is also an invasive species in the US. Stop planting it here. There are better options.
The technique he was attempting to pronounce for the exterior of the house was Shou-Sugi-Ban, but that's actually a misnomer. The actual name of the technique is yaki sugi, or simply charred cedar
Those woven bamboo actually use in mostly indonesian villages until now, Especially in javanese island.
I always heard sheepwool as insulation could have issues in the future?
It’s nice to see intelligent building in anacostia. That neighborhood has a bad reputation for violence. People like this will turn it around.
A very instructive homey spot. Thx for the presentation. A build/renovation worth every reveal.
This was wonderful and the studio is a great example of modern design with mostly modern materials…
I do have a few challenges with nomenclature and methods. I see mostly natural materials but many of them are overtly industrialized when they don't need to be (plywood is overtly industrialized) and calling a modern concrete foundation, which is a huge part of the mass and volume of a structure sustainable or natural would be obtuse since this is one the biggest polluting industries in the world and simply not necessary to build with…
My last bit of umbrage is this continued use of the fake name…"shou sugi ban"…which is more a kitschy -Boujee name used by architects and sales agents to "seem like" they are in the know of what something is, represents or how to properly use it. As soon as I see or hear that name I know the person using it simply knows little of the culture, or the craft of chard wood modalities when the proper term (and respectful to the culture!) is…Yakisugi (焼杉)…which then represents someone who actually does understand perhaps some level of detail to this of many charring methods in woodworking…
Again, this was another great video…Thank you so much for all you do…