Earthship Biotecture, another step to be more sustainable

    Today, while I was searching about new methods for green building construction, I came to a very interesting method named Earthship Biotecture that I want to write this blog about it. As I understood, earthships are passive solar houses that are made from natural recycled Materials and can perform the role of an environmentally friendly building very well and they are going to be more widely used these days. The Most Versatile and Economical building design in the world developed over 40 years around the world by Earthship Biotecture. Earthships which can be used in any part of the world and in any climate, provide you all the needs to survive, with modern amenities and utilities, if desired.

    Earthships as they exist today, began to take shape in the 1970s. Mike Reynolds, founder of Earthship Biotecture, a company that specializes in designing and building Earthships, wanted to create a home that would do three things; first, using native materials wherever possible, it would be sustainable architecture. Second, it would rely on natural energy sources and not be dependent on the “grid”.  So, it would be less vulnerable to natural disasters and independent from the electrical and water lines. Finally, it would be economically feasible for the average person with no significant construction skills to be able to construct.

   Designed and marketed by Earthship Biotecture of Taos, New Mexico, the homes are primarily constructed to work as autonomous buildings and are generally made of earth-filled tires, using thermal mass construction to naturally regulate indoor temperature. In addition, They have their own natural ventilation system. Earthships are generally independent from public utilities and fossil fuels which makes them more environmentally friendly. They are built to use the available local natural resources to function, especially the sun light. For example, windows on sun-facing walls admit lighting and heating. Another interesting thing that should be mentioned about them is that the buildings are often horseshoe-shaped to maximize natural light and solar-gain during winter months. The thick, dense inner walls provide thermal mass that naturally regulates the interior temperature during both cold and hot outside temperatures. Also, the internal load-bearing walls are o honeycomb structure of recycle cans and concrete and commonly named as tin can walls. They are usually thickly plastered with a stucco surface. Furthermore, the roof of the Earthships is generally insulated with two layers of four inch poly-iso insulation to make it more energy efficient.

First experimental house completed near Taos, New Mexico using empty steel beer and soft drink cans

    Also, this method is not limited to tires only. Any dense material with a thermal mass potential, such as adobe, concrete, dirtbags or stone could be used for these kind of construction. However, Earthship structures are known for the use of earth-rammed tires. As we know, rammed-earth tires are plentiful around the world. There are an estimated 2 billion tires throughout the United States. As of 1996, as many as 253 million scrap tires were being generated each year in the United States, with 70% being reclaimed by the scrap tire market (leaving perhaps 75 million scrap tires available for reuse as whole tires). Also, the method of using them is so simple and feasible for anyone to perform.

    Another benefit of the earth-rammed tires is the considerable load-bearing capacity and fire resistance. A fully rammed tire, which is about 2 feet 8 inches wide, is massive enough to surpass conventional requirements for structural load distribution to the earth. Because the tire is full of soil, it does not burn when exposed to fire. In 1996 after a fire swept through many conventional homes in New Mexico, an Earthship discovered in the aftermath was relatively unharmed. Only the south-facing wall and the roof had burned away, compared to the total destruction of the conventional homes.

   Also, in the economical point of view, earthships cost about the same as a conventional home, but a conventional home does not come with all the electricity and water you will use. A conventional home is bad for the planet, is not strong and uses materials that require a lot of fossil fuels to manufacture and get to your building site.

    Nowadays, Earthships are used in many states in the Unites States as well as many countries in Europe. Also, using the insulation on the outside of tire walls, which was not common in early designs, they are becoming more viable to every climate without compromising their durability. Therefore, we will probably see wider use of this method in future of the green building industry, as it is becoming more and more popular and inspiring more people because of its inexpensive matreials.

    Here is a video of this method used for construction of a building.