Sustainable Design and Construction Primer
What is an Earthship?
An Earthship home is a type of passive solar house that is made of both natural and upcycled materials (such as earth-packed tires). Earthships can be completely off-grid or partially off-grid.
Earthships can be built in any part of the world, in any climate (with a permit) and still provide electricity, potable water, contained sewage treatment and sustainable food production.
Earthships are thermal mass homes first, passive solar homes second.
Whatever temperature goes into an Earthship, it will hold… and since it is also a Passive Solar House, it is also very tight and interacts only with the sun and the earth for heating and cooling, providing stable comfort year round in any climate. This results in being able to provide a sustainable home on property that may not be situated to the ideal of 13.5 degrees east of south.
Thermal/Solar Heating & Cooling
Earthship homes maintain comfortable temperatures in any climate. The planet Earth is a thermally stabilizing mass that delivers temperature without wire or pipes. The sun is a nuclear power plant that also delivers without wires or pipes.Solar & Wind Electricity
Earthships produce their own electricity with a prepackaged photovoltaic / wind power system. This energy is stored in batteries and supplied to your electrical outlets. Earthships can have multiple sources of power, all automated, including grid-intertie.Waste Water Treatment
Earthships contain use and reuse all household sewage in indoor and outdoor treatment cells resulting in food production and landscaping with no pollution of aquifers. Toilets flush with greywater that does not smell.Natural & Recycled Materials
House as Assemblage of by-products: A sustainable home must make use of indigenous materials, those occurring naturally in the local area.Catchwater
Earthships catch water from the sky (rain & snow melt) and use it four times. Water is heated from the sun, biodiesel and/or natural gas. Earthships can have city water as backup. Earthships do not pollute underground water aquifers.Food Production
Earthship wetlands, the planters that hold hundreds of gallons of water from sinks and the shower are a great place for raising some of the fresh produce you'd like to have in the winter, but find expensive or bland tasting from the supermarket.
Earthship Biotecture Building Designs
Construction / Permit Drawings
Pangea Design | Build are experts at acquiring permits for passive house, earthships and any other type of green building. Included in our services are production of construction drawings and permit set drawings to get a permit to build your beautiful green building. Our prices are more affordable than anywhere else. In most cases we can provide stamped drawings by an engineer.
The Tire Off-gassing non-issue
The risk of living in an earthship tire building would be several orders of magnitude lower than the risk posed by activities such as living in a house with new carpet, eating peanut butter, driving a car, or smoking cigarettes.
How Long Does it Take to Build an Earthship?
A typical 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom earthship takes about 4 months to build with an experienced crew and materials organized and money flowing from a construction account. Building an
Off Grid and Self-Sustaining Homes with Jonah Reynolds
Have you heard of Earth Ships? This episode is with Jonah Reynolds, Earthship Biotect - which is the number one eco-construction and self-sufficient living design. Off-grid, self-sustainable houses.
How to pound tires and build tire walls
Tire walls are made by laying tires in staggered courses like bricks or concrete blocks. Each tire is filled with compacted earth, so that it becomes a rammed earth
Harvesting Tires
The tire is indigenous all over the world as a "natural resource". Every city is a natural supplier of this item. It can be "harvested" with absolutely no technical
Tire Offgassing
40 years of research and development of self-sufficient housing made from recycled materials. This is an extensive study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison that was presented to us by
Tire Retaining Walls
The same method for building structural walls in buildings can be applied when building retaining walls made with rammed earth encased in steel-belted rubber. Depending on the load the retaining
Biotecture is an architectural approach that incorporates principles of biology and ecology into the design and construction of buildings and structures. It focuses on creating sustainable, environmentally friendly, and regenerative built environments that harmonize with nature.
The term “biotecture” is derived from the combination of “biology” and “architecture,” reflecting the integration of living systems and ecological principles into architectural design. Biotecture seeks to create structures that not only provide functional spaces for human use but also promote ecological balance, energy efficiency, and resource conservation.
Key aspects of biotecture include:
- Living Systems Integration: Biotectural design integrates living systems such as plants, microorganisms, and wildlife into the built environment. This can involve incorporating green roofs, living walls, and vertical gardens that enhance biodiversity, improve air quality, and provide habitat for wildlife.
- Sustainable Materials: Biotecture emphasizes the use of sustainable and eco-friendly materials in construction. This includes utilizing recycled or renewable materials, reducing waste, and minimizing the environmental impact of material sourcing and manufacturing processes.
- Passive Design Strategies: Biotectural designs often incorporate passive design strategies to optimize energy efficiency. This includes leveraging natural light, ventilation, and thermal insulation to reduce the need for mechanical heating, cooling, and artificial lighting.
- Water Management: Biotecture prioritizes water conservation and sustainable water management. This can involve the implementation of rainwater harvesting systems, greywater recycling, and efficient irrigation techniques to minimize water consumption and runoff.
- Regenerative Design: Biotectural design aims to go beyond sustainability by actively contributing to the regeneration of ecosystems and environmental health. This may involve incorporating regenerative agriculture, permaculture principles, and ecological restoration techniques into the design and operation of buildings.
Biotecture is a holistic approach that considers the interconnectedness of the built environment and the natural world. By integrating biological systems, sustainable materials, and regenerative design principles, biotecture aims to create buildings and structures that not only meet human needs but also contribute to the well-being of ecosystems and the planet as a whole.
Off-Grid Living Systems
Water | Power | Waste Water Treatment | Heating/Cooling
The systems of a building. These are the systems that go into the structural shell of the building for occupancy. Some or all of these systems can be used instead of the conventional methods to provide utilities to buildings. This can make the build more sustainable, secure and healthy than only using conventional utilities.
All systems can have automated conventional backups. All systems can be added to existing conventional buildings as a renovation project.
Living with sustainable off-grid systems enhances our lives, secures our lives and is a better investment than conventional buildings.
This increases both psychological and physiological comfort.
Construction and Permit Drawings
Earthship Floor Plans. Pangea Builders are experts at acquiring permits for passive house, earthships and any other type of green building. Included in our services are production of construction and permit set drawings to build your beautiful green building. This includes Earthships and any other type of floor plan layout for off-grid living.
Off-grid floor plans and Custom drawings for Earthships and all other types of floor plans, layouts and custom designs.
Pangea Design | Build can get your permit and build for you anywhere in the USA.