A jali is the term for a perforated brick, stone or latticed screen, usually with an ornamental pattern. They’re widely popular in hot climates such as India, because they provide light and ventilation, and don’t require glass or costly windows. You can build jalis in earthbag walls. Laurie Baker was a master at incorporating jalis … Read more
Kelly Hart just completed a new Project Page at EarthbagBuilding.com on the earthbag clinic in Thailand. He added links to the previous blog posts, but there’s a good chance most readers won’t notice and so I decided to do an extra post. It’s projects like this that demonstrate how practical earthbag building is, even for … Read more
Imagine having a toasty place to sit or sleep in the dead of winter. It’s fairly easy to make heated earthbag benches and beds. All you do is run PEX or copper tubing between courses of bags. The bench or bed could be heated from a water jacket on a wood stove or you could … Read more
Anyone know where these are available new? Note the reference to the old Mother Earth News Magazine article (free online) and the warning about providing a pressure relief valve. Heat-Booster.com Related: Exchanger Wood Stove (wood stove and oven with copper coil and salvaged water tank) Tony’s Homemade Hot Water Heater (not part of a wood … Read more
LandTrees, a Panama rental, agricultural and agrocultural tourism company, is building structures made of earthbags, adobe, rammed earth, bamboo and/or wood logs. Their EcoRanchos earthbag structures (see link below) have a construction permit issued by the authorities. As far as we know this is a first for earthbag structures in Panama. From Walter: “Majestic Dome” … Read more
An airlock entryway (vestibule) has two airtight doors that reduce the amount of air infiltration and heat loss when the exterior door is opened. They create a buffer area to block the wind and improve energy efficiency. Double door airlock entries are common features in energy-efficient homes in cold climates, but they also reduce air … Read more