Yusuhara Marche

Always thought that thatch was only used to cover the houses in St Francis bay

or a braai area?

Well, here is an example of what can be done...

Yusuhara Marche is a Thatch covered market & boutique hotel in the small mountain town of Yusuhara , Japan , where local materials were used to create this multi-purpose building. A combination of a local produce market with a small boutique hotel.

Read more: Yusuhara Marche is a Thatch-Covered Market & Boutique Hotel In Japan | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World  

Liyuan Library by Li Xiaodong Atelier

On the outskirts of Beijing, about a two hour drive from the urban city centre, lies the town of Huairou, where a “modest” addition to the small village has been done by Li Xiaodong Atelier.

A small library building that not only enhances the architecture of the village, but also the appreciation of the natural landscaping qualities. Instead of building the structure inside the village centre, a particular site in the nearby mountains was chosen. Creating a pleasant five minute walk from the village centre that provides a setting of clear thoughts and tranquillity when one consciously take the effort to head for the reading room.

Using local, natural building materials, thousands of bundled sticks where collected from the surrounding landscape and used as cladding to almost completely cover the entire building.At calculated intervals the rectangular breaks in the stick pattern allows light to penetrate inside like a standard window would do.