I just found this video on YouTube. Take a look. All content shown here is from Guiding Star Creations. The focus of this workshop was building in a way that connected the structure and the people to the energy flows of the universe. Stella reminded participants to use all of their six senses to touch, … 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
Polypropylene bags are susceptible to UV damage if left exposed to sunlight for more than a few weeks. High intensity sunlight in deserts and at high altitudes is a particular concern. Builders typically use tarps to protect earthbag walls during construction to minimize UV damage and maintain the strength of the bags. But tarps have … Read more
A new article by Arvid Linde in Green Home Design compares typical earth-sheltered homes with structures made of earthbags. Linde raises a number of interesting points. I agree with his assessment that most earth-sheltered designs contain a lot of high embodied energy materials, notably concrete and steel, and therefore are not as ‘green’ as they … Read more
As a way to gather and share the best original earthbag building ideas for my upcoming earthbag book, I’m running a contest called Earthbag Building 2.0. The goal is to help take earthbag to the next level and hopefully mainstream its use. Winning entries will be credited with your name, and if your business is … Read more
I’m very happy to see more details of this excellent design. We’ve been following the construction progress on their YouTube videos. Now, they’ve added a website with much more information. I have to say, this is one of my favorite designs. It is very well thought out, very affordable, very practical. I would love to … Read more