EXPLORING EARTHSHIP BIOTECTURE
Earthships are, in their most basic definition, a sustainable house.
A deeper observation reveals much more however, and what one experiences when venturing into one of these often eccentric homes, is a contained micro-ecology of interrelated systems working in symbiosis to create a beautifully dynamic structure.
Earthships are a fluid and continuously evolving concept but the general trends are the following. The buildings are crafted from waste materials, especially cans, bottles and tires - thus diverting trash from landfills and creating beauty out of garbage. Water is harvested on the sloped roof and collected into the cisterns hidden in the building. It is then distributed to the sinks and showers of the house. When that water is used, it is cycled through the greenhouse which makes up the south facing façade of the house. The plants feed on this nutrient enriched water and clean it before it continues its way to the bathroom. There, the water (now blackwater) ends its journey to the front garden where human waste transforms into flowers ❀ ❁ ❃ . The greenhouse therefore performs as a water filter as well as a space to grow food. However it also lets in light throughout the day which allows the walls of the house to store heat. In the winter these same walls naturally release this heat, keeping the the house at a wonderfully comfortable temperature year-round. Electricity is harvested from solar panels and windpower.
This system operates in the more elaborate models, other models which have been built in less economically developed areas incorporate similar ideas in more basic systems. Indeed, since earthships are a concept more than a specific house, they can take the form of a basic hut or a voluptuous villa.
Michael Reynolds is the architect of the concept. From the 70's onwards, he played with the idea of building with recycled materials. At that time, landfills were already a disastrous eyesore and a farcical solution to waste. So, in the mesa desert of Taos, New Mexico, he started living a radical and essentially guerilla lifestyle. Trial and error are key to his artistic process, and the way the earthship concept came about. He builds with the ultimate goal of designing a house that makes sense, much like nature makes sense. A genius and a madman at the same time, he persevered where people told him he was crazy. Today still, he lives a frugal and daring life, building earthships around the world and learning still from each mistake.
This is a lifestyle that I was able to learn from and experience while participating in the Earthship academy. There, I learnt about the theory of building a passive off-grid home and was able to participate in building several different types of earthships. I lalso lived in an earthship and felt how logical the structure was, from feeling the sun's energy radiating from the walls in the freezing night to clipping fresh herbs for my cooking. But Beyond illustrating crucial concepts about the future of housing, it gave me the confidence to build and erect structures myself,
Photos by Kirsten
Video by GoVan