“We are extremely proud of the results of this project as we managed to achieve our targets and have had a very positive response from the Jiri locals. The Jirel house has been a response to local architectural vernacular and to the Jirel family’s comments during extensive consultation and discussions. It is a marriage of earthquake resilient earthbag design and our client’s lifestyle and culture. At the Jiri Build Project, we believe that this approach to design and rebuilding is absolutely crucial for the success of a project in Nepal.
Earthbag Building
Earthbag School in Bhackek, Nepal
“Namaste everyone,
The Earthbag school in Bhackek is finished! It took 250 local workers, and 65 volunteers 4 1/2 months to complete. We would like thank all the donors and volunteers who have contributed time and money to make this possible.
Rebuilding Nepal, One Earthbag at a Time
Rebuilding Nepal, One Earthbag at a Time is a short Kindle book assembled by a team of eight volunteers who went to Palchok in the Trishuli Valley to rebuild a school in the fall of 2015. Because of the remote location they needed to plan for every aspect of the project, and this book is primarily advice for others who might try to do something similar. Besides actually building the school, they wanted to introduce the earthbag technique to the villagers so they could continue rebuilding this way. The team had raised enough funds from friends and family to accomplish this goal. They were there for only two weeks, but they got that small school built! Graeme Howell was the mastermind behind this endeavor.
The first chapter introduces what they consider to be the essential building process and suggests how to make this happen efficiently. Because of the number of volunteers, including folks from the village, they wanted to keep everybody busy and make sure there weren’t bottlenecks in the process. For this reason they had people filling and sewing bags right away, even before the foundation trench was prepared. Likewise, they had people screening soil for the eventual plaster.
New Earthbag Projects in Nepal by First Steps Himalaya
First Steps Himalaya, a New Zealand based NGO, is doing an excellent job on the six-classroom school in Sindhupalchok, Nepal. There was a Spanish documentary film crew on site that interviewed me and asked for my impression of the school. I described the school “as strong as an army bunker. The massive earthbag walls could withstand grenades, rifle bullets and even a crash from a speeding vehicle”. The quality of construction is on par with Good Earth Nepal that organized my trip.
Hyperadobe Quick Wall Machine
Thanks to Jaime Marin for this excellent find. This video shows how to build and use a handmade tube filler to make hyperadobe (raschel mesh) earthbag walls. The machine holds the funnel in place to help fill the tube and then rolls backwards down the wall. Note how they’re not using barbed wire because they’re using mesh, and the project is probably not in an earthquake zone. By the way, always use barbed wire on domes.
GARDEN OF EDEN, GRENADA Seeking Earthbag Build Volunteers
Work/Stay Volunteer in Grenada’s Rainforest
Learn how to build Hyper Adobe Earthbags
6-8 week: Project Start Date July 01, 2016
We are putting together a team of hardworking volunteers with a sense of humour and adventure.
You will work and learn while participating in the building of an Earthbag House in Grenada’s Rainforest.