Structural Integrity of Insulated Earthbag Vaults

This blog post provides additional information about the insulated earthbag vaults that I’ve been discussing the last few weeks. (Use the search engine in the upper right corner and enter “insulated earthbag vaults” to read prior posts.) As explained from the very beginning “We get quite a few enquires about vaults. So far we’ve always … Read more

Thinking in Straight Lines

Brilliant insights from Dmitry Orlov on building in the round and peak oil. “Let’s face it, we, the civilized, educated, enlightened part of humanity like things to be straight. Let primitive tribesmen live in picturesque and practical round huts—we require abstract boxes of steel and concrete clad in plate glass, with plenty of nice straight … Read more

More Insulated Earthbag Vault Designs

This is a fourth installment on earthbag vaults. Previous posts have already covered most of the details. This blog post presents two more options – living roof and thatch roof. The thatched roof is the simplest and fastest. The living roof is much more difficult and not recommended as a first time project. The roof … Read more

The Green School

Here’s some information that might prove inspirational if you’re incorporating bamboo into your earthbag design. Deep within the jungles of Bali, a school made entirely of bamboo seeks to train the next generations of leaders in sustainability. In a swath of jungle near Ubud, Bali, the Green School has just finished the second year of … Read more

Get the Basics Right

Make sure you get the basics right so your earthbag home is safe, sound and durable. As obvious as this seems, the most fundamental earthbag building principles sometimes get lost in the forest of information. That was one reason for writing the Earthbag Building Guide – to focus on the most important steps and demonstrate … Read more

Living Building Challenge

Living Building Challenge is a philosophy, advocacy tool and certification program that addresses development at all scales. It is comprised of seven performance areas: Site, Water, Energy, Health, Materials, Equity and Beauty. These are subdivided into a total of twenty Imperatives, each of which focuses on a specific sphere of influence. The purpose of the … Read more