Experimental rocket stove made with rice/hull clay adobes for insulation and traditional adobes. “Two kinds of adobe: one regular old adobe mix and one that’s rice hull/clay. I wanted to try out the rice/hull clay thing as insulator. I didn’t have very many rice hull bricks, so I put ’em at the bottom of the … Read more
I have a lot of fun reading other people’s earthbag blogs. This is a great way to pick up ideas and see what others are up to. You might even have some laughs. Two very fun and interesting blogs by a couple in Canada are All you need is mud and Canadian Dirtbags. Today’s post … Read more
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
This post by Patti Stouter is part of a larger effort to summarize existing test results and hopefully organize and conduct more earthbag tests. “During 2010 and 2011 engineering tests of earthbag increased. Universities involved in evaluating earthbag structures have ranged from Ghent, Belgium, to Cape Town South Africa to Stanford and Brown Universities. Test … Read more
Thermo Hemp, made by Ecological Building Systems, is a mat and roll form of insulation made from 100 percent hemp. It is pollutant-free, has a high thermal resistance, and good acoustic dampening properties. It is completely safe to install and manufacture, offers outstanding fire protection, and contains no chemical additives. Coming in mats or rolls, … Read more
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