earthbag

Tiny Green House Design

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I’ve been caught up in the tiny house movement lately, in large part because of Michael Janzen’s excellent Tiny House Design and Tiny House Living websites. These sites really are a gold mine of information. This line of thought has helped inspire me to think of smaller, simpler house designs. What do we really need … Read more

More Earthbag Projects Planned for Patagonia, Vietnam and Japan

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[The following excerpt is from Paul Coleman’s Environmental Booty blog] The design is of four domes and a courtyard and when people see it I am sure they will be reminded of a fairytale world. It will fit in with the view and will disappear among the surrounds. Most of the materials will have to … Read more

The Orange Tree Atelye (or Workshop)

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Here’s another project taking off to help Haiti. Text quoted from their website. We are an interdisciplinary research and design team from the University of Cincinnati. We were formed to provide a long term growth plan for the Good Shepherd Orphanage in Carrefour, Haiti. However, our ambitions do not stop there. We hope to use … Read more

Imitation Stone Walls and Fake Rocks

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR7MhJ5h_c8 You can make textured walls, benches and other objects that look just like stone. This video and the article below show you the basics. I prefer the beauty of natural stone, but this is an option worth considering for special situations. Here’s one example. You could plaster your walls to simulate the color and … Read more

Earth Dome II at Pomona College Organic Farm

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[Text below is from their website.] The Earth Dome II Project has redefined the scope and community base of the farm. The project began in 2001 following a visit to CalEarth in Hesperia. Following this visit, a group of students and community members built an earth dome at the farm during spring and summer of … Read more

Gypsum and Lime Stabilized Soil (Alker Technology)

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Although not necessarily required for earthbag building, stabilizing soil improves water resistance and compressive strength, and speeds drying time. Since 1978, Istanbul Technical University has been researching a technique called alker technology or alker construction. Basically it’s just soil stabilized with lime and calcined gypsum (plaster of Paris). The following summary is taken from their … Read more