Superior Sandbag System, an erosion control firm in Orange County, CA, have a new tube filling machine that fills continuous polypropylene tubing. So far it’s been used for erosion control, but it could be utilized to mass produce affordable housing. Steve Villa and Steve Williams, the owners of Superior Sandbag Systems, invented the process and … Read more
There is a roving monk (with the unpronounceable name of Krpasundarananda) who travels the globe helping people build earthbag domes. He is a Meditation teacher with Ananda Marga and has been a Monk since 1991. Ananda Marga is a world-wide organization with spiritual and social activity centers on all continents. The mission runs schools, medical … Read more
A gusseted bag has a seam that eliminates bulging, protruding corners. Gusseted bags create neat, squared bag ends. Although not required for earthbag building, they can reduce plastering work somewhat by creating flatter wall surfaces. Unfortunately, they’re not readily available in our area, so I just smack any protruding corners with a hammer or stitch … Read more
An Australian couple have been chronicling the development of their homestead, which includes building a strawbale house and an innovative approach to creating raised garden beds. They have resorted to sewing up strips of old sheets to make long bags, which they then fill with stabilized soil to create the beds. Once cured, the beds … Read more
My earlier post about Earthbag Building in Cold Climates on January 17, 2009 piqued some interest. Since energy performance on most buildings can be improved with insulation, including those made of earth — adobe, earthbag, etc. — I decided to pursue this idea further. So here’s another method for insulating earthbag buildings using tube sandbags, … Read more
Most earth structures such as adobe are located in hot, dry climates. But what if you live in a cold climate and want the benefits of low-cost earth building techniques? Earthbag building has the unique advantage of providing either thermal mass or insulation, and therefore can be adapted for cold climates with an insulated fill … Read more