Shortly after his work with Mr. Alexander, he became a pioneer in the use of straw bale construction, designing the first load-bearing straw bale structure to receive a building permit in a seismic zone. Since then, he has designed dozens of straw bale buildings, from tiny cottages to entire monastic complexes, and continued to develop new approaches in this material. In recent years, his practice has enlarged to include a significant amount of planning and consulting work for monasteries, retreat centers, ecovillages, and a college campus for sustainable studies, incorporating the recent developments in sustainable technologies as well as the emerging principles of sustainable neighborhood design.