KarunaNews Story

Many people moved to Taos in the 1970s to break free from modern architectural conventions and today, architects and builders are pioneering the latest green building trends. Ross and Kristin Ulibarri's award-winning high-tech home is in a senior co-housing community within walking distance of historic Taos Plaza. Anita Otilia Rodríguez built her house from adobe in the 1970s, using techniques learned from craftswomen in the Hispanic villages and Indigenous Pueblos of New Mexico. Re-learning traditional building methods that rely on local materials could cut pollution and bring fractured communities together, she says. Architect Mark Goldman brought together local artisans and more than 100 volunteers to build the Dream Tree Project, a shelter and transitional home for young people in Taos, and teaches adobe construction at the University of New Mexico, Taos.