One of our workshops in Austraila was a two day FUN-damentals of earth bag workshop where over 20 participants built this garden retaining wall. Participants gained hands-on experience combined with lectures to explore adapting earthbag building to their climate and environment. Participants gained to knowledge to use locally available soils to create walls and domes.
The wall was built a part of a master plan for the South Melbourne Common's Cafe which included curved garden bed retaining walls. With the garden staff we explored ways of making this wall with the lowest impact and the least long-term maintenance. Most of the material and tools were made from the site. Soil was delivered from a near by construction project and screens were made found objects. The wall will be finished with an oxide added to match the historic blue stone.
Here is a finished picture I just received from Melbourne Commons. Great job you guys! What a beautiful cafe space.
Friends of ours in Australia, Harold Raps and Mathilde Menard are directors of the Sydney-based firm Green Earth Buildings. They have presented a sustainable design utilizing earthbag building to a group in Brunei. Read the the full article at The Brunei Times.
What is earthbag building and Guiding Star Creations? I find that earthbag building is best expressed through images. To help those who want to see some examples of our work, Guiding Star Creations has compiled over 100 photos. Please click on the pictures above to view this photo album and feel free to share them. If you are going to use the pictures for advertisement please credit the photos to GuidingStarCreations.com.
This dome was built by Angel and his family in Tepoztland, Mexico with the assistance of Guiding Star Creations. It is the perfect size for a music studio, healing dome, or guest dome. The dome has a 13 ft (4m) interior diameter and features a loft space, custom glass door, windows, and skylight designed by Angel. The floor is a stained concrete slab and the material in side the bags is a mixture of earth, volcanic rock (tosontle), and 10% cement. The exterior is finished with a water proof paint and the interior is an earth paint finish. Angel teaches workshops in Mexico and he will be teaching in India the beginning of next year. Guiding Star Creations is look at the possibility of collaborating with Angel in India around April 2011. For more information in Spanish check out his blog at blog at http://superadobemexico.blogspot.com.
Guiding Star Creations attended an earthen floor training put on by Sukita with Claylin Floors. The ease and beauty of working with non-toxic materials created many smiles during the workshop. Earthen floors are such a flexible material that can be applied on grade for new buildings, on a cement slab, or on a sub-floor. Being able to install radiant heating coils and utilize passive solar heating make earthen floors an great choice for non-toxic and energy efficient living. Earthen floors are up to 90% less energy intensive than standard concrete floors. There are also many health benefits of having an earthen floor and being in direct contact with the earth through your feet. Many thanks to Sukita, the other workshop participants, and the workshop hosts. For more information on Claylin, earthen floor training, or to contact Sukita visit www.sukita.com
