- Inhabitat – Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building
-
https://inhabitat.com
-
Earthquake Resistant Tire Earthships for Haiti Disaster Relief
Posted By
Bridgette Meinhold
On
In
Architecture,Design,Eco Textiles |
Comments Disabled
[gallery_extend]
Early in July, Reynolds, two builders and a cameraman journeyed to Haiti to do research and see what could be done. They ended up building a whole house with the help of 40 locals, ranging in age from four to 50, in just under four days. Locals gathered tires and plastic water bottles, while Reynolds and his team directed the construction efforts. The earthship is 120 sq ft and made from 120 tires packed with dirt and topped with a dome roof (an easily replicable design). Reynolds said of the locals who helped, “They had nothing to do. They were all eager to learn, and it turns out all the skills we could do, they could do.”
Reynolds has built over 1,000 earthships through his firm Earthship Biotecture around the world, and even homes for other disaster torn areas, like on the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean after the 2004 tsunami. Earthships are constructed from discarded materials like tires, which serve as the foundation and structure of the building. Typically built in a round with a domed roof, the buildings are also able to withstand earthquakes. For the homes in Haiti, Reynolds also has plans to include rainwater harvesting, solar power, sewage treatment and food production. He and his team will return in October to add the remaining systems to the existing home, including adding plaster to the exterior, a screened-in veranda with flush toilets and water and solar collectors.
Via Wall Street Journal
[1]
Haiti is still in a world of hurt, especially with regards to a lack of safe and earthquake resistant housing. Michael Reynolds, an architect from Taos, New Mexico specializing in building earthships, recently traveled to Haiti with a crew in hopes of a
[2]
This almost finished earthship is 120 sq feet and made from 120 found tires packed with dirt.
[3]
Reynolds and his team of two builders and a cameraman traveled to Haiti mostly to do research, but ended up building a whole home.
[4]
Here the team begins laying out tires and packing them with dirt.
[5]
Reynolds was unable to do much work due to a recent surgery, and two of his team members got sick while down there, so much of the construction was performed by locals under their direction.
[6]
Forty locals ranging in age from 4 to 50 helped build the Earthship and were very interested in helping out.
[7]
Tires are stacked on top of one another in a round and then packed with dirt.
[8]
The group built the Earthship in just four days. The locals were very eager to help and as Reynolds says, “They had nothing to do. They were all eager to learn, and it turns out all the skills we could do, they could do.”
[9]
Reynolds relaxed with locals during his stay in Haiti. He plans to return in October to finish his work and build more homes.
[10]
In October, Reynolds will come back to finish the house, adding plaster to the exterior, water and solar collection systems, and a screened-in veranda with flush toilets.
[11]
This earthship is a prototype of what could be in Haiti and it was largely built by locals and could easily be replicated.
[12]
Here is the completed earthship minus the finishing touches.
[13]
Reynolds has plans to outfit the earthships so they are completely self-sufficient and generate their own power, collect rainwater, have sewage treatment and have areas to grow food.
[14]
A rendering of the Earthship Eco Village in Haiti.
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]