Earthbag House in Turkey Survives 6.1 Earthquake

This earthbag house withstood heavy rains and a recent 6.1 earthquake.
This earthbag house withstood heavy rains and a recent 6.1 earthquake.

Earthbag Foundations for Soggy Seismic Areas
By Kerry Bingham
As far as I know, mine was the second earthbag structure to be built in Turkey, and it was met with widespread skepticism. With frequent earthquakes, severe flash-flooding on the south coast during the winter months and rising damp, many thought the house would either ‘melt’, slide or be shaken to the ground.

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Mindfulness Project Dome: Just a Short Ways to Go

The Mindfulness Project meditation dome (a test structure for their planned sustainable community) is nearly finished.
The Mindfulness Project meditation dome (a test structure for their planned sustainable community) is nearly finished.

We have been working hard the last days. Earthbag building is anything far from easy. But it is an incredible learning experience. Our teacher told us yesterday: “Problems make you learn! When something is easy, you just go to bed very satisfied, no problem. But when the problems occur you really need to find a solution. So you start searching, go to the internet, ask experts. After that you know a lot more, which you would not know, if the problem did not occur. Problems make you more knowledgeable.”

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Great Determination Buddhist Hermitage

“The small city of Athens, Ohio is a hotbed of sustainable building practices. There are nearly two dozen strawbale houses, an earthship and many off the grid dwellings in the vicinity. We did not realize this until after we had moved here. When we decided to stay we spent a year intensively researching alternatives to … Read more

Latilla Ceilings

Definition of latilla from Dictionary.com: “luh-tee-uh, a peeled branch or piece of wood laid between beams of a ceiling or above the vigas for decoration.” From Southwest Building Supply: “Latilla is from the Spanish word Lata, meaning stick. These “sticks” are used as a traditional ceiling material, laid between beams or vigas. Latillas are cut … Read more

Double Unit Ecoresort

Specifications: Two 16′ diameter roundhouses = 402 sq. ft. interior plus 80 sq. ft. baths, total 482 sq. ft. interior (241 per unit), 1 bed, 1 bath per unit, Footprint: 19′ x 49’ Description: This ecoresort design joins two earthbag roundhouses with private baths between. The roof extends over the porch to create a shaded … Read more