From Guest Blogger Bara: Radical Sustainability With Earthship Design
In the last couple of years, architecture has been experiencing a rebirth. The constant desire to improve and become more efficient in the way buildings are being constructed became the main driver for this change. The incremental need for sustainable solutions is now more alarming than ever before.
This is when the concept of Earthships was born, attempting to fill the gap and come up with a design which would solve the issue of carbon emissions and household waste.
It experiments with renewable sources of energy like solar panels or wind power. Furthermore, it developed its unique way of harvesting water and producing large amounts of food for a household all year round.
However, one of the best parts about an Earthship is that its main aim is making an eco-friendly construction affordable for an ordinary person.
How is that achieved?
The founder of this concept, Michael Reynolds, is utilizing easily accessible and ingenious materials when building each house. That makes most of the materials used less costly and gives the owner space to invest money into the parts that will bring even more savings in the long term, such as vertical axis windmills, solar panels or double glazed windows. Click here to read more about smart renewable energy investments.
The major interesting structural component of Earthships is old tires. This material serves as a stable building support and plays a big role in the heating system. The tires attract heat from the sun, releasing it during colder temperatures to sustain a comfortable warmness in the house.
Other recycled materials used are plastic and glass bottles or aluminium cans formed into building bricks thus being upcycled. It is a common thought that reusing materials for building is the next step in the construction industry.
Where does water come from?
Earthships have a unique concept of water management which makes it possible to reuse water up to 4 times for different purposes. This is enabled thanks to a filtration system and the knowledge of where exactly water should go after the usage (e.g., from washing dishes to watering greenhouse plants or flushing toilet).
What about food?
Food production is another intriguing part of the whole design. It would probably be hard to get by only with what you grow but it will definitely help reduce a lot of your costs while becoming healthier and more in tune with what you eat. There is a greenhouse attached to the south part of the house and many plants incorporated in the interior design of the house too.
These are the main features of an Earthship, if you want to know more, have a look at the following infographic:
