I love hearing about innovative natural building projects. Ed, a long time reader, sent me an update on his earthbag home in Ecuador. Ed is using confined earthbags that sit within a reinforced concrete frame. This is a good method for those who need to meet building code and for areas that are vulnerable to hurricanes and earthquakes.
hurricane resistant
Low Cost Disaster Resistant Housing Package for SE Asia
“This open source Information Package is in response to the great, unmet demand for safe and affordable housing in a region prone to earthquake, tsunami and typhoons. After the recent Typhoon Haiyan EBS has decided to upload this disaster resistant low cost housing solution for SE Asia as open source information.
Vanuatu Update: Experience is everything
“This Vanuatu build was started with a little experience in what can go wrong and it made all the difference. Seven Australians aged 14 to 63 and four local men worked together with the wife and four daughters of a Ni-van waiter to build these two rooms in 14 days.
Best Building System for Florida
Email question: “We are in the process of relocating to NE Florida, and would like to build a home with alternative building materials. It would seem that straw bale homes are not the best solution for Zone 9 [ed: due to risk of moisture damage]. What is your recommendation for the best building material, based on climate/humidity in the NE Florida coast? Is earthbag the best?”
Final Vanuatu Drawings
The project in Vanuatu is moving along. Here are the final drawings. We modified my $300 Earthbag House design to meet the needs of locals in Vanuatu. The houses are clustered, two rooms have been added in each house, the porch enclosed and a common outdoor work area included.
Ernas Mamas builds training centre with affordable materials
“Mamas making up the Ernas Women’s Association have tapped onto a creative initiative to boost their everyday income, at the same time promote tourism development within their area, when they decided to build a house using much cheaper and affordable materials which will be used as a training centre.