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- ADOBE CONSTRUCTION:
Adobe construction is one of the oldest forms of building technology, still being used in the
United States today. This form of building has been used in the desert Southwest for nearly 1,000 years, while its
historical origins can be traced back to Rome, as early as the 1st century A.D.. Adobe, an Arabic word, describes a
construction method in which clay bricks are molded while still wet and cast small enough to shrink without cracking.
These bricks were usually laid up with a mud mortar. The desert Southwest played host to the largest concentration of
adobe structures , for many reasons. The Spanish settlers who came to this area found the thick walls of the adobe
structure were easy to build with indigenous materials, while the completed structure’s thermal mass soaked up the
solar heat, therefore keeping the houses cool during the day and warm at night.
- CAST EARTH CONSTRUCTION:
Cast Earth construction is a method of construction similar to rammed-earth. It is the work of Michael Frerking, an architect
and general contractor in Prescott, Arizona. He has been working with rammed-earth technologies in Arizona for over 20 years. Cast-earth construction,
unlike rammed-earth, uses a mix of gypsum plaster in place of traditional portland cement. Cast-earth is cast into forms using current poured concrete
techniques and tools. Cast-earth can be batched in a local concrete plant, delivered using regular trucks, and pumped through regular concrete pumps into
regular concrete forms. It is this regular use of a new technology that makes cast-earth an economical choice to rammed-earth and many other construction
techniques. In addition to lower labor and materials charge, cast-earth is considerably stronger, the set time is shorter, therefore bringing an age old
construction technique into the twentieth century.
- CORDWOOD CONSTRUCTION:
Cordwood construction in its simplest state, is simply the stacking of wood logs with mortar between and a roof overhead.
This simple building technology has been around indefinitely, with no known origin. The present state of cordwood building, with Rob Roy as
its chief architect and engineer, has become a valuable form of environmental building technology. A cordwood masonry home can be built with
simple tools and techniques, using short pieces of wood. Cordwood buildings use short logs, stacked widthwise with a mortar mix between. The
high thermal mass and energy efficient construction, coupled with its economical building process, make this a worthwhile building technology
for the present and the future.
- EARTHSHIP CONSTRUCTION:
Earthships can be found in the desert outside of Taos, New Mexico. They are the vision and product of architect
Michael E. Reynolds. Working with various environmental concerns in mind, Reynolds has come to the conclusion that Steel belted tires,
of which the US disposes of 250 million a year, are the environmental solution to the worlds housing problem. Reynolds construction
technique stacks the tires like bricks and packs them solid with dirt. At 300 pounds per tire, all walls are load bearing, and neither
concrete or foundation are necessary to hold walls in place. The three-foot-thick walls provide so much thermal mass, Reynolds compares
them to batteries. Earthships usually face south with rear walls bermed into a hill taking advantage of passive solar techniques.
Earthships are finished with stucco, and resemble an adobe home when finished.
- EXPERIMENTAL CONSTRUCTION:
Experimental construction is a generic term for a building technology that is still in the works. Many building technologies are
currently being experimented with, and may prove to be a viable alternative to traditional building techniques in the future.
- RAMMED EARTH CONSTRUCTION:
Rammed earth construction, the technique of pounding moist earth into a formwork to create monolithic walls of earth, has been
used worldwide for thousands of years. This form of construction has been used off and on for 200 years in the US, but never with as much enthusiasm
as now. Rammed earth construction, as with adobe and most other forms of earth housing, benefits from the use of inexpensive local materials in a
thick walled system that maintains a high thermal mass and high energy efficiency. Rammed earth is a mixture of soil, water, and usually portland
cement, packed into a form using a hydraulic tamper.
- STRAW BALE CONSTRUCTION:
Straw, grasses, and reeds have been used along with wood and earth to build structures for thousands of years. With the development
of the modern baling machine in the early 1800’s, many structures, made of bales stacked like bricks, began to pop up throughout the mid west. Straw
bales, made from the leftover stems of harvested grain, are considered a waste product by American farmers. Enough straw is burned or buried yearly
by American farmers, nearly two million tons, to build 5 million 2,000 s.f. homes. Straw bale construction can be of either load-bearing or non load-bearing
construction. In a load-bearing home, straw bales are stacked and tied together with threaded rods from bottom plate to top plate, compressing the bales.
Non load-bearing walls are also considered infill, where straw bales are filled in between a load bearing heavy timber structure. Straw bale homes are
finished with a plaster or stucco coat. Straw bale construction appeals to many new home builders due to its ease of construction, flexibility of design,
affordability, high insulation value, and low environmental impact.
If you're looking for an answer to a question of your own that isn't addressed here,
you may go to the Green Bulletin Board and post it or Contact Us and we'll try answer it and post it here in a future update.
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