About George Swanson

George Swanson received a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology from Western Washington University in June 1975. Since that time he has worked throughout the Pacific Northwest, the Great Plains, and Southeastern United States, designing, building, and managing construction of healthy homes and commercial buildings.

In 1981—and after working with Buckminster Fuller on a number of projects—George published the bestselling Dome Scrapbook, distilling his experiences designing and participating in building more than 300 geodesic dome structures in the Pacific Northwest from 1974 to 1981.

Over the past 30 years George has explored the subtle but powerful effects of buildings on our physical, mental, and emotional health. He has studied both the science of building materials and the design principles from ancient cultures around the world. Through his research and experimentation he has managed to recreate life-sustaining and environmentally-friendly building systems such as those used in such long-lasting structures as the Great Wall of China and the Parthenon of Rome. During this time George has completed more than eighty low-toxic, fully breathing buildings in eleven different states. His designs have utilized sacred geometry and numerous alternative building systems including straw bale, rammed earth, Faswall, woodchip clay block, Hebel aerated concrete block wall systems, and magnesium cements as alternatives to toxic and wasteful conventional materials. A number of his projects have also included single family wetland septic systems for turning black water into drinking water on site, rooftop rainwater-collection systems for supplying a family’s water needs, and solar voltaic energy systems for renewable and cost-effective electricity from sunlight.

George graduated from the Institute for Bau-Biologie & Ecology as a Building Biologist in 1992 and was listed in Who's Who in America in 1996 for his contributions to sustainable technology. Currently he is an authorized dealer for Faswall and Hebel Building Products and offers natural home consulting, design, and construction services throughout the U.S. and around the world. George has conducted hundreds of seminars on the science behind, and the benefits to human health and the environment, of natural building design.

Last modified: 02/21/05