Sandhenge

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios constructs sandbag igloo From Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios website: “Thirty architects and staff completed a sandbag igloo in a field alongside the river Avon at Batheaston, finishing on 26 June 2009. The sandbag structure is a test bed exercise for a project we are working on in Namibia, supporting the work … Read more

Bullet Resistance of Gravel

What’s the most effective way to provide bullet resistance for your home? Here’s a field trial test of Joel Skousen’s gravel wall system. Compare the bullet resistance of this system to: Sand bags Compressed earth Impact testing compressed earth by black powder cannon

First Call for Elite Earthbag Team

Five winning earthbag designs have been officially announced in the $300 House design competition. At least five of the top designs will be prototyped as part of a long process to refine the designs and eventually build them in poverty stricken areas. This is just an early announcement, a first call for volunteers, to let … Read more

2-story Roundhouse above Survival Shelter

Some people dream of buying a remote getaway as a place to escape to if/when there’s a breakdown in society. Here’s an alternative for those who can’t or don’t want to move and develop a remote site: build an earthbag survival shelter and put a house on top to conceal it. (I’d build with 18″-24″ … Read more

What’s the Easiest Shape to Build?

Roundhouses, especially ones with a lightweight roof, get my vote for the easiest shape to build. This obviously goes against conventional thinking that uses modern materials such as plywood and sheetrock. Sure, there’s a certain degree of efficiency in building rectangular structures with modern materials — they do go up quickly. But the logic falls … Read more