There’s great, untapped potential for superinsulated earthbag buildings in cold climates. Here’s a way to combine the best features of earthbags and yurts. The basic idea is to combine earthbag walls filled with lightweight insulation such as scoria (lava rock), with a traditional yurt roof frame that’s insulated with perlite or vermiculite.
Yurts (ghers) have been [...]
Archive for September, 2009
Cold Climate Earthbag Yurts
Posted in Building Styles, Ceilings, Economics, Emergency Shelter, Insulation, Introduction, climate, tagged cold climate, cold climate design, earthbag building, earthbags, insulated, Insulation, sandbags, superinsulated, yurt on September 24, 2009 | 8 Comments »
Earthbag Privacy Walls
Posted in Building Styles, Introduction, landscaping, tagged earthbag, earthbag building, earthbag walls, privacy walls, sandbag on September 16, 2009 | 6 Comments »
In addition to many other uses, earthbags also make great privacy walls. Besides being beautiful, privacy walls help block wind and noise, and keep out stray dogs and prying eyes. You can greatly enhance your home using this dirt cheap building technique.
Protected from excess wind, plants can thrive even in harsh climates like New Mexico. [...]
Hurricane and Tornado-resistant Earthbag Houses
Posted in Emergency Shelter, Introduction, climate, tagged affordable, disaster resistant. earthbag, earth house, earthbag home, hurricane, hurricane resistant, proof, sandbag, sandbag house, storm resistant, sustainable, tornado, tornado resistant, wind resistant on September 9, 2009 | 6 Comments »
Domes are very strong and perhaps the best option for many areas. However, in rainy climates they are prone to leaks. (Domes originated in desert regions, after all.) In high rainfall areas, roofs with overhangs to protect walls are recommended. Roofs need to be very well built with hurricane tie downs. [...]
The Earthworks of Kikuma Watanabe
Posted in Building Styles, Domes, Emergency Shelter, Forms, landscaping on September 3, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Kikuma Watanabe is an associate professor of architecture at Kochi University of Technology in Japan and is responsible for the design of several wonderful earthbag projects around the world. He collaborated with Akio Inoue (a Japanese professor of philosophy) on designing an eco-village near Lake Victoria in Uganda, and they have helped the Africans build [...]
