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
The year-round greenhouse at Sandhill Farm is built with sustainable materials, including earthbags for lower walls and light straw/clay in upper walls. Greenhouse segment starts at 1:12. Maybe someone from Sandhill Farm can chime in here and leave some comments. More info: Sandhill Farm Dancing Rabbit TV
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
It seems many readers are hesitant to plunge in and start building an earthbag house. That’s understandable. Building any home is a major undertaking and it makes sense to plan accordingly. The best advice for those just getting started (after doing the prerequisite background research) is to build something small like a storage shed or … Read more