Earthbag Building Timelapse — Nuwakot School, Nepal


“Here is a progress time-lapse video of the Birds of Passage Shree Jana Primary School – Nuwakot built by Good Earth Nepal! We hope you enjoy, massive thank you to Good Earth Nepal for making this possible and spreading this technology throughout Nepal for a safer and more sustainable future! We couldn’t have asked for a better team of volunteers! Hand on our hearts…THANK YOU TEAM!”

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Low Cost Bamboo Truss System

This $200 12’x18’ bamboo roof by Joao Boto Caeiro is one of the strongest, best bamboo roofs in the world.
This $200 12’x18’ bamboo roof by Joao Boto Caeiro is one of the strongest, best bamboo roofs in the world.

Most of our readers know the world’s forests are being rapidly depleted. Sustainable alternatives are desperately needed. Low cost bamboo is a promising alternative building material because it’s rapidly renewable and widely available. Bamboo is especially well suited for Nepal that is in dire need of scalable solutions that can help rebuild the country. Ms. Neelima Basnet, a Nepali freelance architect, helped implement Joao Boto Caeiro’s bamboo truss method in Chapagaun near Kathmandu. Now there are 22 finished houses.

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Grassroots Movement Building Earthbag Schools in Nepal

Earthbag school built by volunteers with Good Earth Nepal in Nuwakot, Nepal
Earthbag school built by volunteers with Good Earth Nepal in Nuwakot, Nepal

In collaboration with Good Earth Nepal.org and donations from the Schoeck Family Foundation, we’ve been touring earthbag projects near Kathmandu. We’ve seen numerous earthbag schools in our travels, but haven’t noticed any new conventionally built RCC/brick schools.

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Live from Nepal: Tour Update #1

Traditional rural house in Nepal. Note the second story for storage of grains and other produce.
Traditional rural house in Nepal. Note the second story for storage of grains and other produce.

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!

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UNM students rebuilding Nepal community center

UNM4Nepal is rebuilding in Nepal with earthbags
UNM4Nepal is rebuilding in Nepal with earthbags

“It was almost a year ago that a massive earthquake rocked Nepal. Nearly 8,000 people died and hundreds of villages were destroyed. Many buildings crumbled to the ground.
But out of those dark moments, a group of UNM students are shining through. Their goal: to help rebuild. A group of UNM engineering students have rebuilding on their minds after their visit to Nepal before the earthquake’s destruction.

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Rebuilding Earthquake-hit Homes in Nepal with Earthbags

“A SCOTTISH entrepreneur is using a new slant on a century-old construction method to rebuild earthquake-devastated homes in Nepal. Derek Cowan and a team of volunteers are in the village of Thangpalkot, in the foothills of the Himalayas, on a mission to replace 86 destroyed homes.

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