I think that Earth Houses (houses made of dirt) are a good idea. They are affordable, sturdy and gathering dirt doesn't cause any enviromental problems. We can use the dirt left over from digging holes like basements and from excavating.
Many ancient buildings (like the great wall of China) have lasted for many years. Dirt can hold in heat in winter and keep heat out in summer. It may well prove to be a profitable insulator. Dirt houses would only need support, insulation (to further insulate) electrical, heating, cooling and water systems, topping it all off with dry-walling and paint.
from Dr Huggatree of Heat Team A
4 comments:
Hi Dr. Huggatree and Heat Team A,
Have you had a chance to complete any experimental tests on earth as an insulator? There might be some data in green roof research.
Dr Carson
Hi Dr. Huggatree,
Earth houses are certainly popular in many parts of the world I have visited. I wonder could you post a reference for your information? I remember noticing on one of my trips through the Andes in North Western Argentina, that the people there made bricks out of mud. The idea that I like is that people could make their homes out of materials that they could produce themselves.
I'm looking forward to getting that reference.
Dr. Steph. Lewis
Dr. Carson,
We are waiting for Dr. Boyle to send us some experiments/tests, we will tell you our results when we complete the experiments/tests.
Dr. Lewis,
http://architecture.about.com/cs/greenarchitecture/a/eartharch.htm
is a good site to visit if you want to find out a little more about earth houses
Thanks for that reference Dr. Huggatree et al. I have been reading up on earth houses on the site
Dr. Stephanie Lewis
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