Reader comment: “I love your designs! I do have a question:
We live in Tucson. Metropolitan area (but not TOO metropolitan) hot most days, hot most nights because the buildings and concrete absorb the heat and release it. It can get cold in the winter (though not much below freezing), but the main issue is the heat. What if we took one of these earthbag designs and just buried it?
Question from a reader:
“I want to build one of your earthbag Earth Lodges in the tropics. What do you think?”
“The dogtrot, also known as a breezeway house, dog-run, or possum-trot, is a style of house that was common throughout the Southeastern United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Some theories place its origins in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Some scholars believe the style developed in the post-Revolution frontiers of Kentucky and Tennessee. Others note its presence as far east as the Piedmont of the Carolinas from an early period. Architects continue to build dogtrot houses using modern materials but maintaining the original design.
Water features are very relaxing and very effective at cooling the environment. They also look great and the plants will help filter and oxygenate the air. I was looking at a local fountain (photo above) and realized it would be easy to add some vent holes to help cool a home.