Earthship, a viable concept?

[Eddie Dane]

Currently the domain of sandal wearing hippies.

An Earthship is essentially a bungalow that catches lots of sun on the front an is super insulated at the back.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship

With energy prices (and the sea) on the rise, isn't this a great solution.

There are some red flags though. The designer lost his license as an architect.

And I suspect one would have very little control over the temperature in ones home.

What do you think?

[Paul]

What do you think?I saw the documentary about Michael Reynolds, Garbage Warrior, the other day and the technology certainly looks interesting. I wouldn't read anything into the architect's license issue, indeed the documentary mentions that he has been invited to reapply for it.

Here's a documentary about Dennis Weaver building his earthship:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5509973403996720685

[Eddie Dane]

Perhaps I should emphasise that I'm more interested in the passive solar energy aspect, then in the recycling aspect.

Both are good ideas that have been incorporated into the Earthship concept.

But no building company will sit around filling empty beer cans with sand.

[Paul]

This is Earthship Biotecture's article about solar priciples:
http://www.earthship.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=26
The thermal mass of the dense compacted walls is an important part of the process.

As for building companies, the idea is that people with a little training can do it themselves with local materials, in fact, you just missed a Dutch training programme at Zwolle.

[G-K-4]

Currently the domain of sandal wearing hippies.
Never mind the Grateful Dead, here's some Kraftwerk:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house

And I believe you can control the temperature. The system can be used for heating and reversed for cooling.

[Eddie Dane]

I'm very enthusiastic about these concepts.
Conventional buildings seem quite ill-designed next to these.

However, I've found an article that's very critical of the "green" credentials of the Earthship. Link (http://kitsandmortar.com/2008/03/27/earthships-is-a-house-green-just-because-it-recycles/)

It argues that tires, bottles and cans are easy to recycle. Hence we are not doing the environment any favours by sticking them in walls.
This forgoes the the economic aspect IMO. This stuff is free.
If you're building your own home, that a major factor.

However. If this concept is to be used on a large scale, it will not be by hand filling and hammering tyres. Labour being so expensive in the West.
It might work in developing nations.

[Eddie Dane]

This is Earthship Biotecture's article about solar priciples:
http://www.earthship.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=26
The thermal mass of the dense compacted walls is an important part of the process.

As for building companies, the idea is that people with a little training can do it themselves with local materials, in fact, you just missed a Dutch training programme at Zwolle.

I can't even hang a painting without it coming off the wall 5 minutes later. Usually taking a large piece of plastering with it. I don't think I'll be building anything soon.

Plus, I have a demanding job and two young children, no chance.

I love the idea of people building their own homes as opposed to being mortgage slaves living in gas-heated plywood boxes that blow away when the next tornado comes along. (my little critique of the American situation, in Holland we build with brick).

But to put a dent in our energy use, we'd need a lot of these types of houses and that means mass implementation. Not the odd individual building their own home IMHO.

[Eddie Dane]

Never mind the Grateful Dead, here's some Kraftwerk:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house

And I believe you can control the temperature. The system can be used for heating and reversed for cooling.

Very interesting. Looks like it's being picked up also.

[kleinjahr]

Hardest part is getting such approved by the local building inspectors/codes.

[Eddie Dane]

I saw the trailer of Garbage Warrior. I understand that Reynolds' license wasn't revked because a structure collapsed or anything like that.
It was revoked because of the earthship concept.

What problem is there with it? Is there a public health issue with the waste treatment? (it's off grid).

What problem do building authorities have with Earthships?

[Amapola]

There's a whole little village of these near Taos, NM which is fairly close to where I live (maybe 80 miles away). The ones I've seen are sort of built into the ground, and some almost underground, probably taking advantage of the relatively constant temperatures underground. They are hard to notice from the road; they don't stick up in the air like regular buildings. Some of them even have plants growing on top of them and you have to really pay attention to see some of them.

Most of them have water catchment systems on the roof as well as solar panels but they are by no means all the same. I don't know anyone who owns one but have talked to people who lived in them, and everyone says they are very comfortable. They work sort of like the adobe buildings that have the great big thick earthen walls, and are cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

As far as the location outside of Taos, I'm pretty sure that's because they would NOT meet "normal" building codes. Out in the county, away from the city, there are or were less regulations.

One advantage I can see is they would be pretty darn hard to burn to the ground. Tires might catch on fire if the fire were hot enough but bottles and cans and dirt don't burn readily.

I think they look pretty cool, and I like the idea of "sweat equity" (the owners doing the work themselves). I'll probably never have the chance to build one but I do admire the little village of them because you can hardly tell the houses are there.

[ArmillarySphere]

Very interesting. Looks like it's being picked up also.
Passive houses are nothing controversial here in Sweden, albeit a little new. Our winter climate gives pretty substantial savings, so the idea is attracting interest. The problem is that building to that standard of quality costs more than the usual methods, so you have the usual tradeoff between construction and maintenance costs. The trickiest part IIRC is getting the ventilation working as intended, and as usual, you need to prevent moisture traps. If I were to build a passive house myself, I'd consult an architect with experience before starting up, and hiring professionals for the critical parts.

Disclaimer: I'm not an architect, but I sometimes have beer with one...

[my_wan]

I saw the trailer of Garbage Warrior. I understand that Reynolds' license wasn't revked because a structure collapsed or anything like that.
It was revoked because of the earthship concept.

What problem is there with it? Is there a public health issue with the waste treatment? (it's off grid).

What problem do building authorities have with Earthships?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Reynolds_(architect)#Lawsuits_and_credentiali ng_woes:_1990s
Lawsuits and credentialing woes: 1990s
Though Reynolds always stressed the experimental nature of his homes, that did not prevent disillusioned buyers from filing lawsuits and complaints over defects such as leaky roofs and inadequate climate control. Spurred by a series of complaints and lawsuits against Reynolds, the State Architects Board of New Mexico moved to strip him of his credentials, saying his home designs were illegal and unsafe.[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Reynolds_(architect)#cite_note-People-0)
In 2000, Reynolds voluntarily gave up his New Mexico architecture and construction licenses after a year-long dispute with several clients.[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Reynolds_(architect)#cite_note-1) Since then, the board of the American Institute of Architects has asked Reynolds to give a lecture at its headquarters in Colorado and has reinstated his license.

[KingOfWings]

I think we should all live in Hobbit holes.

[ponderingturtle]

I saw the trailer of Garbage Warrior. I understand that Reynolds' license wasn't revked because a structure collapsed or anything like that.
It was revoked because of the earthship concept.

What problem is there with it? Is there a public health issue with the waste treatment? (it's off grid).

What problem do building authorities have with Earthships?

Well it could well be in violation of building codes. And making sure that you comply with such codes is a job of an archeitech.

It, or at least it's concepts might work for some areas. The problem that many people have is that they don't want to tailor the building to the local enviroment. With that and saving money you don't have too many building being built well for their enviroment.

In california in a area that was being rebuilt after wildfires, people made sure to get their construction permits before they would have to abide by stricter anti fire codes.

[kleinjahr]

"What problem do building authorities have with Earthships?"
No problem per se. Problem results when they try to look up relevant code and don't find any. Then it's " It's not to code so you can't build it". Bureaucrats!!(sorry didn't mean to cuss) So you have to prove that it is better than code, costs more time, more money. Also, many jurisdictions limit what you can build to what will fit with the local aesthetic. Try building a dome or Earthship in a neighbourhood of Victorian homes, you'd have to fight off the lawyers and process servers with a 2 by 4.