Architects, engineers and designers were quick to help create safer, more sustainable designs after the December 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. One effort at the Geiger Research Institute of Sustainable Building led to an earthbag design, another effort developed a bamboo design with earthbag (sandbag) footings. Architects Diego Lastres and Daniella Corvetto were key to … Read more
The Fleming College Sustainable Building Design & Construction Progam project in 2008 was the Madoc Performing Arts Centre. Students of this annual summer program constructed a sustainable performing arts center in Madoc, Ontario, Canada. Since 2005, students of this program have been building sustainable public buildings for host communities. The buildings mix low impact, low … Read more
Shine On Sierra Leone, a human service foundation that provides education, mentoring and nutritional support to schools in Sierra Leone constructed a school building using earthbags. The building was made without power tools, but instead hand made tools. The idea was to use materials that are easily accessible to locals. At first, the workers laughed … Read more
Illac Diaz of the Philippines has helped mount an exhibit of earthbag building at the La Salle Museum in Costa Rica. He posted lots of photos of the construction at http://illacdiaz.multiply.com/photos.
Owen Geiger has a new earthbag video showing how to build earthbag domes. It’s short, fun and lively, yet shows all the important steps. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ODplmnpSts&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
Here is an interesting use of earthbags to create a self-supporting arched entrance to a park. This was reported in Buffalo Rising of Buffalo, NY. It is part of the Street Synergy Community Garden (which was once a dumping ground), and was created by volunteers. They say that “It’s a solid, inexpensive, creative and earth-friendly … Read more