EARTHSHIP HOMES
An Earthship is a type of passive solar earth shelter home that is made of both natural and upcycled/recycled materials which would have otherwise been sent to a landfill site such as earth-packed tires, glass bottles, and aluminium cans. This amazing technological advancement in architecture is now know as Bio-tecture and was pioneered by the great American biotect Michael Reynolds.
Earthships are predicated upon the idea that there are six human needs which can be addressed through environmentally sustainable building design:
- Energy: Thermal heating and cooling with a small solar system as a backup
- Garbage Management: Reuse and recycling built into construction and daily living
- Sewage Treatment: Self-contained sewage treatment and water recycling
- Shelter: Building with natural and recycled materials
- Clean Water: Water harvesting and long term storage
- Food: In-home organic food production capability
We all want to do our bit to save the planet and Earthship homes have one of the best water recycling systems around. The roof of the earthship funnels and stores rain water into a cistern, that then pumps it into sinks, showers and baths when needed. When that water is used it’s known as grey water and is then pumped into the greenhouses to water the plants. After being cleaned by the plants the water is then pumped into the the toilets, after being flushed it’s known as black water and is pumped into the exterior garden to give nutrients and feed non-edible plants.
Due to the way Earthships are built they can sustain warm and comfortable temperatures all year round, no matter where they are. The reason for this is due to the solar heat being absorbed and stored by ‘thermal mass’ ie – the tires filled with dirt, the building material used for walls and based on how the back walls of these homes are built with earth and soil, they radiate heat in the winter and cool in the summer, all night long.
The large greenhouse windows are always built facing south to allow the sun to heat up the thermal mass throughout the daytime hours and Earthships usually have two built in green houses, meaning you have a chance to grow you own food within your own home!
These truly eco-friendly structures are intended to be “off-the-grid” homes, with minimal reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels. They are constructed to use available natural resources, especially energy from the sun and rain water and they’re designed with thermal mass construction coupled with natural cross-ventilation to regulate indoor temperature. Even better, the designs are intentionally uncomplicated and mainly single-story, so that people with little building knowledge can construct them.
