Earthbag Construction

EarthBag Homes - you're standing on the building materials...

Long sandbags are filled on-site and arranged in layers or as compressed coils. Stabilizers such as cement, lime, or sodium carbonate may be added to an ideal mix of 70% sand, 30% clay. Straw may also be added. The earthbags are then plastered over with adobe. Arquitectura en Equilibrio (Architecture in Balance) www.flickr.com

Plastic bags recycled into plastic bags -- if plastic does not break down for a thousand years, this building is sure to last several lifetimes. Of course covered with adobe or plaster, so that the plastic does not offgas or degrade. Arquitectura en Equilibrio, Columbia. www.flickr.com

Foundations differ as per site. Here, in a rainy locale, rocks were placed under the earthbags for drainage. Note the barbed wire which keeps the bags from slipping and creates an earthquake resistent structure. Arquitectura en Equilibrio, Columbia. www.flickr.com

The time consuming part, filling the bags. The bags are filled in place on the wall. The CalEarth site says that three reasonably-fit persons can lay 100 linear ft of bag per day. Arquitectura en Equilibrio, Columbia. www.flickr.com

Testing the strength of an arch. Arquitectura en Equilibrio, Columbia. www.flickr.com

Project Seres, Guatemala.  projectseres.org  www.flickr.com

CalEarth -- Emergency Shelter Village, Hesperia, California.
Iranian born architect, Nader Khalili developed the long-bag Superadobe prototype in California. In 1991 he founded the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture (Cal-Earth), a non-profit research and educational organization. Photo by James www.flickr.com

Cal Earth -- Emergency Shelters. This long bag/barbed wire concept was originally presented by Nader Khalili to NASA for proposed building habitats on the Moon and Mars. Photo by Ashley Muse www.flickr.com

CalEarth let the layers show. Photo by James www.flickr.com

CalEarth -- this might not be totally earthbag, but like the fish face. Photo by James www.flickr.com

The aerodynamic forms resist hurricanes and the structures pass California’s earthquake codes. They are flood and fire resistant as well. A double eco-dome can be built (bagged) in 10 weeks. Photo by James www.flickr.com

CalEarth photo by Mike Smith www.flickr.com

Classical Arches, domes and vaults updated. The combination fireplace and wind-scoop faces prevailing winds. Photo by James flickr.com

CalEarth -- inside of the vaulted house. calearth.org

CalEarth inside of the vaulted house. calearth.org

Cal-Earth -- exterior mud ornament. Photo by Ken McCown www.flickr.com

CalEarth Vault under construction. Photo by Ashley Muse www.flickr.com

Sandbag construction in the Philippines? Long sandbags add stability, but using barbed wire between layers of shorter sandbags, is also fine. It takes much longer to fill the long bags than the short ones. Photo by SCDLR8899 www.flickr.com

Ninos y Jovenes boarding school in San Juan Cosala', Mexico. Pic taken by earthbag expert Kelly Hart see more photos of project here: www.flickr.com

This is the first EarthBag structure to receive proper building permits in New York State. A project of Sister Marsha Allen of Rochester, she hopes the students who helped build the structure will join her in Haiti, where she hopes to build many more. www.rochestercitynewspaper.com

Gainesville, Florida. Photo by Justin Martin www.flickr.com

Gainesville, Florida. Photo by Justin Martin www.flickr.com

Gainesville, Florida. www.flickr.com

Tamping is a necesary step. Initially a trench is dug and then filled with gravel, cement or a sunken layer of bags. Makes nice benches as well. www.ecocentro.org

Everyone lends a hand. Take earth building lessons in Brazil with www.ecocentro.org
Some use bags as a temporary holder of adobe. The bags could rot away and the building would still be as sturdy. For this type of build, the bags need to be filled with a percentage of hardening material (such as adding 5%-10% hydrated lime or cement to dry soil, mixing well and then moistening lightly before filling and tamping bags) or pure adobe.

Inside an EarthBag ready for plaster. The other way to make an earthbag. A mix of native soil; clay/aggregate/sand, and/or insulating material such as lava stone, scoria, pumice, perlite or vermiculite inside polypropylene bags (which have a half life of 500 years). The plastic needs to be protected from the degradation of the sun's rays with a plaster. structure1.com/Earthbag.pdf

CalEarth photo by CuteMatrix www.flickr.com

If you do not like the idea of plastic bags - then Kelly Hart and Dr. Owen Geiger of Earthbag Building suggest natural porous bags (hemp, jute, flax or linen) filled with dirt, stone powder and sodium carbonate or lime (or numerous other cement capable wastes). After you lay a course of bags, sprinkle the layer with water, and after drying you will have a cement layer. Read more here: earthbagbuilding.wordpress.com

Earthbag Home Plans lots more here: earthbagplans.wordpress.com

Earthbag Home Plans earthbagplans.wordpress.com
 

Resources:

Great 'how to' resource here: www.simpleearthstructures.com

Books, Supplies, Links, Lots of Info:  earthbagbuilding.com

Cal-Earth focuses on researching, developing and teaching the technologies of Superadobe. The prototypes have not only received California building permits but have also met the requirements of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for emergency housing. calearth.org

Buy long bags here: calearth.org/shop

See structural notes at bottom of pdf: structure1.com/Earthbag.pdf

Simple Earth Buildings for the Humid Tropics by Patti Stouter: earthbagbuilding.com/pdf

Rubble-Bag Houses - How to: motherearthnews.com

How to make papercrete: www.greenhomebuilding.com

Lessons:

California and Worldwide: calearth.org

San Miquel de Allende, Mexico: karacadirearthbuilding.com

Brazil:  www.ecocentro.org

Argentina: superadobeserrano.blogspot.com lots of building pics

Northwest US:  earthenhand.com

Upstate NY: simpleearthstructures.com

More Pictures:

Lots here: structure1.com/Earthbag.pdf

Interesting bathroom by master builder Gernot Minke www.asl.uni-kassel.de

School in Mexico:  www.escueladeenergiasolar.org

For Japanese readers: whitehole.tistory.com