Brandon Rogers is a native of Orlando who decided to move to Africa to get some hands-on experience building affordable homes after a stint at a design firm in the states. Now, instead of sitting in a cubicle, he spends his time developing affordable housing schemes and putting them into action. He’s studied a variety … Read more
We get a lot of questions about privacy walls. The blogger at Sunflower River provides lots of photos to help illustrate the process. Instead of trying to recap what they say on their blog, I suggest following the links below for a detailed look at what they’re doing. Beginning process Wall almost finished Or … Read more
Pisco Sin Fronteras is working to improve the living conditions of families and communities in Pisco by building and improving homes, working with schools, building sanitation units and working in community development. They have determined that building with earthbags is the best way to achieve their goals. Three years on from the earthquake there is … Read more
One of the greatest needs in the world is disaster-resistant housing – houses that can hold up against hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, flooding and other natural disasters. If you follow the news like I do then you’ll realize that tragic disasters affecting tens of thousands or millions of people occur almost daily. It’s sad and painful … Read more
The idea presented here is for Haiti and other areas susceptible to earthquakes. It’s a very simple concept, but even small steps like this one can save lives. The main idea involves reinforcing corners of earthbag buildings with plastic mesh or plastic fencing. For background information, see my previous post on Low Cost Reinforcement of … Read more
Sometimes incremental changes are the most effective. People are naturally resistant to major changes, but they’ll more readily grasp and utilize small changes. That’s the thinking behind this confined masonry/earthbag system. Confined masonry is one of the most common building systems in the world, with millions of structures built this way. Confined masonry construction consists … Read more