The Earthship model is a holistic one. At its simplest and most powerful, the Earthship concept enables people to re-integrate with nature through their homes. Conventional house building only encourages further dis-integration at all levels.
When planning and designing new builds, the basic Earthship model will stay the same. Differences will be related to things such as size, wall heights, orientation, natural cooling systems etc.
If you are thinking of creating your own Earthship then you will find it to be a very low skilled, relatively easy and cheap solution. You should always consult an Earthship specialist before performing any actual work, especially at the design stage.
Earthships are passive solar buildings that heat and cool themselves, are self powered, harvest their own water and deal with their own waste.
With free energy from the sun and free materials from waste, the Earthship is based on earth rammed tyre walls giving thermal mass to store heat.
They are ‘heavyweight’ high quality buildings, designed with a comfortable low cost future in mind. They run free and yet can be realized at similar costs to the conventional utility dependant ‘lightweights’ that are currently proliferating. We need to reverse this balance – rapidly.
COMFORT IN ANY CLIMATE
The concept of thermal mass buildings works both to cool and to heat a home. The buildings can be adapted to any climate and still provide a comfortable building.
The 'engine' of the Earthship: All other aspects of the Earthship concept, the catch water and waste water treatment systems and the solar/wind power systems, are tuned to your climate and your local codes as well. All systems can be in addition to and do not have to replace conventional systems, when necessary.
Earthship is a concept - not limited to tires - it is a building that will take care of you by encountering and interacting with the biology and physics of the earth.
HOUSING / BUILDING
It is not so much “how to build” as how to choose techniques and materials appropriate to a given situation. People have a false nation that the only good house is one made of industrialized materials. The emphasis here is on making use of “ingenious systems “of housing design which have evolved to fit local conditions. Making maximum use of materials such as mud, stone and wood.
It is not so much “how to build” as how to choose techniques and materials appropriate to a given situation. People have a false nation that the only good house is one made of industrialized materials. The emphasis here is on making use of “ingenious systems “of housing design which have evolved to fit local conditions. Making maximum use of materials such as mud, stone and wood.
