Helical Earthbag Shelter Built by Taliesin Student

During her time at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture at <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2009/02/16/mod-fab-by-taliesin-west-studio/" target="_blank">Taliesin West</a>, <a href="http://www.mayawk.com/shelter" target="_blank">Maya Ward-Karet</a> took part in a design/build program to complete a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2010/05/14/exceptional-earth-walled-home-is-a-desert-oasis/" target="_blank">desert shelter</a>. Her resulting Helixa Shelter was built for just $812 and it features a robust earthbag construction that curves to protect the inhabitat while still allowing for interaction with the Sonoran desert.

The Helixa Shelter was designed and built by Maya Ward-Karet, a Master of Architecture student at Taliesin, the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

Ward-Karet built the structure as part of a design/build program at the school to construct a desert shelter.

The Helixa Shelter is a semi open shelter constructed from earthbags, adobe and tent material.

Earthbag construction creates strong, durable hurricane and earthquake-resistant buildings at a low-cost.

The entire shelter was built for $812 from reclaimed materials, earth found on-site and a donated tent material for the shade dome.

The awning material provides shade on the inside from the hot desert sun, while the earthbags and adobe create thermal mass to help provide protection from the cool desert nights.

Located in the Sonoran desert near the architecture school, Ward-Karet's shelter respects the desert environment using local materials and reflects the very nature of its harsh clmate.

Designed like a seashell, the shelter curls in on itself to provide both private and public spaces.

A sleeping area nestled in the very center is protected from both the heat of the sun as well as the wind, and it takes in heat from the chimney at night.

A public outdoor seating area provides space for people to socialize and interact next to the outdoor fireplace.

The chimney and walls of the structure are constructed from earthbags filled with old rammed earth from a collapsed wall nearby and covered in adobe.

The earthen floors are poured adobe, hand mixed and troweled into plase.

All the materials for the shelter were hand carried and construction of the shelter took place on site within 2 ft of the final footprint to minimize impact on the surroundings.