Most of the AutoCAD drawings for my 30 most popular plans are nearly complete, and so now I’ve started adding SketchUp perspective drawings to show what the completed houses will look like. My goal is to add one perspective drawing every 10 days to 2 weeks and finish in about one year. I have several … Read more
Volunteer Opportunity for hands on experience and training Hungry Minds Educational Society is building an adult education centre in Kisowera, Mukono, about 30 km from Kampala. Construction is set to begin in January 2011 on our first building – a starter home, designed by community members. This will be an earthbag building, incorporating a root … Read more
We just finished installing light fixtures in our earthbag roundhouse. This step has taken a lot longer than anticipated. The porch light by the front door was easy to find since it is conventional looking. But we wanted something special inside for our three wall sconces because they’re more prominent. Two sconces, one on each … Read more
The folks at Phangan Earthworks in Thailand have created a marvelously meditative structure using earthbags placed between existing large boulders that was then capped by a wood-framed roof and eventually thatched. The result is a symphony of forms that mirror nature and quiet the mind. The open, well-vented design remains pleasant at all times. You … Read more
I just discovered a new YouTube video from AlJazeera TV that describes how folks in the Gaza strip, who have been denied many building materials such as cement and steel, have taken to building with earthbags. This short video shows how they are adapting some of CalEarth’s methods of using long tubes filled with adobe … Read more
There’s growing interest in living roofs or green roofs. The difficulty is deciding on the waterproof membrane. Rubber pond liner (EPDM) is the most waterproof and durable material, and the most common choice due to proven performance, but it’s also very expensive and made from nasty petro chemicals. I think a number of less toxic, … Read more