[Most text quoted from the referenced article shown below.] Vernacular earthen houses located in seismic areas are at risk because of their inherent structural vulnerability. Adobe houses, for instance, are strong in compression but weak in tension. Earthquakes pull adobe houses apart, causing great loss of life and property. However, due to economic reasons, earth … Read more
The U-shaped house is my latest house plan to get updated to computer renderings. Based on reader demand, the house is slightly larger than the original. Specifications: 990 sq. ft. interior, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, Footprint: 31′ x 46′ Description: This pleasant home looks inward to an inviting flagstone courtyard with trees and plants. Spacious … Read more
Volunteer Opportunity for hands on experience and training Hungry Minds Educational Society is building an adult education centre in Kisowera, Mukono, about 30 km from Kampala. Construction is set to begin in January 2011 on our first building – a starter home, designed by community members. This will be an earthbag building, incorporating a root … Read more
We just finished installing light fixtures in our earthbag roundhouse. This step has taken a lot longer than anticipated. The porch light by the front door was easy to find since it is conventional looking. But we wanted something special inside for our three wall sconces because they’re more prominent. Two sconces, one on each … Read more
Do not zigzag barbed wire between courses of bags, because this will lessen its tensile strength. A load (stress) on the structure, such as a hurricane, earthquake or differential settling, would tend to pull the structure apart as the slack is taken out of the wire. Zigzagging the barbed wire would provide more attachment points, … Read more
Our roundhouse is nearly finished and so I wanted to share some results. The main impression is one of incredible fortresslike strength — massive walls with no sway. Our roundhouse and dome are probably the two strongest buildings I’ve ever worked on. Our earthbag dome, for instance, never budged as about 15 truckloads of soil … Read more