Earthbag Construction
Earthbag construction is a very strong and cheap way to build a structure. You start out with a piece of land, you scrape up the dirt on the land and you fill a polypropylene or burlap bag with the dirt and you stack the bags on top of each other to create a wall. The bags on the wall are stabilized by strands of barbed wire laid down between rows of stacked bags. Earthbag structures are not constrained to angular shapes and as a result you are only limited by your imagination. Earthbag structures are also strong enough to withstand earthquakes, fires and floods.
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Building With Earthbags
Using soil-filled sacks (earthbags) for construction has been recently revived as an important natural building technique for several reasons. It is inexpensive, using locally available site soil and polypropylene or burlap sacks, which often can be obtained free or at low cost. The technique demands few skills, and is easy to learn. In addition, building with the bags goes extremely quickly, much faster than any other earth-building technique. They are adaptable to numerous site conditions and can be used with just about any type of fill material available. When built properly, earthbags are extremely strong, and as the bags themselves are lightweight and easily transported, they are useful for remote locations or emergency shelter. Thus, it is a flexible means of construction usable in a wide range of situations to create a variety of forms and structures.
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Cal-Earth (California Institute of Earth Art & Architecture)
Nader Khalili conceived of the "superadobe" as a system for the construction of lunar colonies for NASA in 1984. But the system was destined for more earthly pursuits. In 1991, Khalili's California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture tested the architect's dirt-dome prototypes and eventually passed seismic tests to meet California's stringent building codes. cheap, sustainable, easy to build, and structurally sound, his domes are constructed mainly of on-site materials: Standard polypropylene sandbags, 14 to 18 inches in diameter and up to a mile in length, are filled with dirt, sand, or clay, wound in circular or spiraling forms, and held in place with barbed wire in between each layer. One house, up to 16 feet wide, can be built in a day by a family of four. It can last decades if cement is added to the soil mix or if the exterior is plastered, as is the case with a community in Southern Iran.
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Earthbag
This method really got me excited. It was presented by Doni Kiffmeyer and Kaki Hunter of Moab, Utah. Earthbag uses misprinted polyethylene feed bags which are filled with dirt and stacked like bricks. Barbed wire layed between the courses binds them together. Each course is hammered till it's hard. With time, the dirt hardens like concrete.
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OK OK OK Productions- Home of Earthbag Building
What originally began as a project for illustrating a documentary film has grown into a full-time occupation. We now have over 20 years of combined experience in earthbag building. Our goal is to innovate and inspire affordable, enduring, eco-friendly homes, outbuildings, root cellars, and garden walls, which are as beautiful as they are functional.
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