Getting good tools in developing countries is challenging since the market is flooded with very low quality products. Often the tools are worthless within minutes or a few hours of use. Sometimes they never work. For instance, I bought a screwdriver a few weeks ago that stripped out on the first screw. This is not unusual. It’s actually very common in poor countries.
earthbag
Sewing Gusseted Earthbags
Touring earthbag building projects in Nepal has allowed us to gather hundreds of photos, dozens of hours of video footage, and discover lots of interesting new earthbag techniques and developments. I now have fresh content for lots of future blog posts. The volunteers and workers here are very good and so there’s quite a bit of innovation taking place. The photo above is one example of how earthbag builders in Nepal are improving the building process by sewing perfect corners on earthbags.
Live from Nepal: Tour Update #1
As most readers have already heard, I am touring earthbag projects near Kathmandu in collaboration with Good Earth Nepal.org (winner of NEA design award). Every day is exciting, informative and productive even though there are many challenges traveling in rural areas on heavily damaged mountain roads. For instance, the “main road” to China, which one would think is a major trade route, in some places looks like a bulldozer simply cleared aside a crude path on top of millions of tons of rocks. And that is in fact what it is!
Grandma Krishna’s Earthbag Home in Nepal
“Initially, on paper, I figured that it would be cheap to build earthbag houses. After many years of research, while I was studying and working in the UK, and after the twin earthquakes of 2015, it made more sense to me to give this method a try and promote it. I finally made the jump and started building a small earthbag home for the sweet old lady from my community here in Chiti VDC Lamjung. I found some hidden surprises associated with the build.
El Jicarto Earthbag School Nicaragua
El Jicarito School from Gonzalo J. Lopez on Vimeo.
“EL JICARITO SCHOOL is an innovative low-cost school design that brings a community together through collaborative construction methods, using local materials, while creating a new educational space that will enhance creativity.
Earthbag Rental Dome in Chihuahua, Mexico
Hi Owen,
There is an earthbag building at a hotel in northern Mexico. I travel near there every 3-4 months, so have been able to follow the progress. The last trip it seems to be finished on the exterior, so wanted to grab a photo for you.