Earthship Building: An Ecocenteric Method of Construction

At a glance..

Earthships are designed to make a family feel as independent and free as if they were on a long voyage, only in this case the ship is their home, their voyage is on Earth and their goal is to live equably with their environment. This publication features an actual earthship that has lived for five years as of writing.

The details..

In 'An Ecocentric Method of Construction', Jack Ehrhardt delves into the world of sustainable building. With a growing global population and limited natural resources, it is imperative that we find new ways to construct homes that are both affordable and environmentally friendly. This book offers solutions by exploring ecocentric methods such as using earthen and recycled materials in construction.

Ehrhardt challenges traditional wood-framed building systems which contribute to deforestation on a massive scale. Instead he advocates for an intuitive approach where designers interface with nature's environmental services when designing buildings. The author highlights Michael Reynolds' earthship design as one example of this method.

The Earthships have built-in systems designed to account for every human impact and need making families feel independent while living equably with their environment. These houses use solar gains penetration coming through windows to heat them in winter; they also make use thermal mass walls constructed from engineered rubber-encased adobe blocks made from used car tires filled with dirt compacted at 90 pounds per tire.

Overall, 'An Ecocentric Method of Construction' provides readers with practical ideas on how they can build more sustainably without sacrificing comfort or style.