Hello my name is Jesse Clark, founder of the Living Solutions Group located in Vancouver BC Canada.In this summary I will be covering most aspects of the Earthship Ironbank build I attended just outside of Adelaide, South Australia.
This unique design is a culmination of the Micheal Reynolds Erthship Biotecture plans and a few interesting renditions of Martin Freney, the owner and architect of the build who is also doing his PHD on the systems. The earthship is to be used as a bed and breakfast as well as a flagship model for the Adelaide climate, full of sophisticated thermal sensors hooked up to the latest software to prove the excellence of the design for future builds. The goal of this workshop was to get the earthship framing and vaulted ceilings finished as well as the plumbing and electrical. The workshop was scheduled for 5 weeks starting on January 6th going to February 8th 2014. However, a handful of people including myself stayed for an additional 2 weeks to get a few more things wrapped up like the roofing and side vaults. 60 plus people made up a beautiful mix of on site and off site talents and abilities that made the entire experience very rewarding and it helped move the project along smoothly. The weather was a serious factor as the temperatures reached heights of 45 degrees Celsius and we were forced to spend 4-5 hour lunch brakes... at the beach, as a result. Not to mention being evacuated due to a bush fire raging out of control near bye.
The first week was very exciting, packed with new building challenges for myself. The tire wall was already complete as well as the cooling tube installation. The real interesting part that I was first involved in was building a bond beam which was formed with conventional plywood on top of the tire wall, different to the can wall used in the original design of Mike Reynolds earthships out of New Mexico. The re bar and mesh dome roof was also made and installed on the week which I missed and the bond beam was tied into the re bar. The tire walls were covered with cob, a mixture of clay, sand and straw, which was also used to pack out the bottom of the bond beam form to stop concrete from leaking out the bottom. The bond beam concrete was poured from a truck that was ordered from a near bye mixing plant and the next few days were spent striping the form. By the end of the week, the spit coat, which is concrete mixed on site and hand thrown on the vault, was started. The vault was not propped up from the bottom correctly and the shape started to cave in, luckily we caught it in time to add some more shoring. A second and third coat were added on top over the next 2 days and three coats of mortar were also applied inside the vault ceiling before a final lime render to finish.
Weeks 2 and 3 were focused on a concrete beam which wrapped over the front of the dome extending down to the bond beam. This massive undertaking was specked by the engineer and is extremely overkill for the common design. The form was huge, measuring 5 feet high at each end and over 7 meters long. The immense wait of the pour buckled the bottom of the form and we almost had a complete blowout before we jammed more braces in and saved it. The pour was halted and we did a second pour the next day on top, we also inserted bottles at the top through the form to draw light into the greenhouse. The pressure from the vibrator pushed water into the bottle bricks through the tape on a few of them which is not ideal but good to note for people doing the same process. Two concrete buttresses were also installed at either end of the wing walls to provide stability to the tire walls. The east west footing was built at the front of the earthship and a stem pour was placed on top for the framing after the concrete set for a few hours. The remainder of the weeks were spent helping out where ever needed. There was lots to learn and jumping around from job to job was common amongst the crew. The electrical is all low voltage and the majority of it was set into the concrete bond beam at the top of the ire walls. A full solar system along with an evacuated tube hot water exchanger on the roof will provide this B&B with an off grid power source and includes a small wood stove integrate into the systems.
The plumbing was a large undertaking and involved making things up on the fly as well as following specifications. The complex job was headed up by a professional plumber and later passed onto another member of the crew. The levels of the tanks, placement of the front planter along with many different fitting pipe sizes proved to be a serious challenge. Grey water is to also be harvested from the sinks and filtered through the planter. Getting all the kinks worked out proved vary difficult for Martin and the crew as there were leaks, contention of design and rain catchment systems to be included. It is wise to have all these systems figured out ahead of time with full schematic drawings and schedules, this way the crew and owner can move the build along with much greater ease and speed. A separate tire water tank consisting of over 800 tires was built for fire emergencies as well as back up water supply for the building. The 2 water cisterns at the back are 5000 litres each and are set just below the roof catchment line. The roof water catch over the concrete dome is made up of different layers first starting with dirt infill to get it generally level, Styrofoam insulation next covered with EPDM witch is a waterproof layer, gravel was placed atop to keep it all down and a can wall to make the edge. Additional gutters on the front will collect water and divert it to the cisterns via a wet pipe that stays charged at height of cistern water levels.
The roof framing and greenhouse framework were both specked in hardwood due to bush fire regulations. Merbau was ethically harvested from New Guinea and is one of the nicest materials I've ever had the pleasure of chiseling, cutting and installed. Three carpenters including myself took on the majority of the woodwork along with some great help from the crew and volunteers. The exposed rafters and posts provide an eloquent touch to the quirky and random shape of the build. Large windows are to be installed in the front of the greenhouse giving ample light to the bustling future greens of the planter witch is yet to be installed. An absolute masterpiece of the space is the bottle wall framed in hardwood that separates the living/dining room area in the vault from the greenhouse. This eye catcher has an assortment of different colored bottles as well as windows above and beside the beautiful french doors. The ceiling will be finished in mini fluted corrugated metal between the upper rafters leaving much of the hardwood to the naked eye. The floor will be rammed earth in the vault and the rest will be slate. The bathroom will have a built in place tub and conventional toilet flushed by grey water along with a washing machine.
In closing this build has had a profound effect on my life and I have witnessed an unparalleled feeling of joy mixed with a greater respect for natural building. The meals that were prepared for dinner and throughout the day are etched in my head as some of the best I will ever have. A group effort was undertaken for certain tasks such as dishes, cleaning, and cooking along with a camp mom and dad on hand. The amazing stories of peoples lives and their dreams of the future for building is an echo for my new path in this unstable world of architecture, building, and engineering. I would like to thank those who taught me new skills and showed me strengths and wizardry.
This new beginning we must all think of now will be the base of our children's lives. A dawning of realization is to come and those unprepared to face the elements will not survive. Resonance amongst those who have the moral tenacity to endure persecution of new ideas will be rewarded. Those who follow the grain with a vale over their eyes will meet an uphill battle. While the more informed survive through a vessel of fortitude.
Thank you Martin Freney
Jesse Clark
Living Solutions Group
This unique design is a culmination of the Micheal Reynolds Erthship Biotecture plans and a few interesting renditions of Martin Freney, the owner and architect of the build who is also doing his PHD on the systems. The earthship is to be used as a bed and breakfast as well as a flagship model for the Adelaide climate, full of sophisticated thermal sensors hooked up to the latest software to prove the excellence of the design for future builds. The goal of this workshop was to get the earthship framing and vaulted ceilings finished as well as the plumbing and electrical. The workshop was scheduled for 5 weeks starting on January 6th going to February 8th 2014. However, a handful of people including myself stayed for an additional 2 weeks to get a few more things wrapped up like the roofing and side vaults. 60 plus people made up a beautiful mix of on site and off site talents and abilities that made the entire experience very rewarding and it helped move the project along smoothly. The weather was a serious factor as the temperatures reached heights of 45 degrees Celsius and we were forced to spend 4-5 hour lunch brakes... at the beach, as a result. Not to mention being evacuated due to a bush fire raging out of control near bye.
The first week was very exciting, packed with new building challenges for myself. The tire wall was already complete as well as the cooling tube installation. The real interesting part that I was first involved in was building a bond beam which was formed with conventional plywood on top of the tire wall, different to the can wall used in the original design of Mike Reynolds earthships out of New Mexico. The re bar and mesh dome roof was also made and installed on the week which I missed and the bond beam was tied into the re bar. The tire walls were covered with cob, a mixture of clay, sand and straw, which was also used to pack out the bottom of the bond beam form to stop concrete from leaking out the bottom. The bond beam concrete was poured from a truck that was ordered from a near bye mixing plant and the next few days were spent striping the form. By the end of the week, the spit coat, which is concrete mixed on site and hand thrown on the vault, was started. The vault was not propped up from the bottom correctly and the shape started to cave in, luckily we caught it in time to add some more shoring. A second and third coat were added on top over the next 2 days and three coats of mortar were also applied inside the vault ceiling before a final lime render to finish.
Weeks 2 and 3 were focused on a concrete beam which wrapped over the front of the dome extending down to the bond beam. This massive undertaking was specked by the engineer and is extremely overkill for the common design. The form was huge, measuring 5 feet high at each end and over 7 meters long. The immense wait of the pour buckled the bottom of the form and we almost had a complete blowout before we jammed more braces in and saved it. The pour was halted and we did a second pour the next day on top, we also inserted bottles at the top through the form to draw light into the greenhouse. The pressure from the vibrator pushed water into the bottle bricks through the tape on a few of them which is not ideal but good to note for people doing the same process. Two concrete buttresses were also installed at either end of the wing walls to provide stability to the tire walls. The east west footing was built at the front of the earthship and a stem pour was placed on top for the framing after the concrete set for a few hours. The remainder of the weeks were spent helping out where ever needed. There was lots to learn and jumping around from job to job was common amongst the crew. The electrical is all low voltage and the majority of it was set into the concrete bond beam at the top of the ire walls. A full solar system along with an evacuated tube hot water exchanger on the roof will provide this B&B with an off grid power source and includes a small wood stove integrate into the systems.
The plumbing was a large undertaking and involved making things up on the fly as well as following specifications. The complex job was headed up by a professional plumber and later passed onto another member of the crew. The levels of the tanks, placement of the front planter along with many different fitting pipe sizes proved to be a serious challenge. Grey water is to also be harvested from the sinks and filtered through the planter. Getting all the kinks worked out proved vary difficult for Martin and the crew as there were leaks, contention of design and rain catchment systems to be included. It is wise to have all these systems figured out ahead of time with full schematic drawings and schedules, this way the crew and owner can move the build along with much greater ease and speed. A separate tire water tank consisting of over 800 tires was built for fire emergencies as well as back up water supply for the building. The 2 water cisterns at the back are 5000 litres each and are set just below the roof catchment line. The roof water catch over the concrete dome is made up of different layers first starting with dirt infill to get it generally level, Styrofoam insulation next covered with EPDM witch is a waterproof layer, gravel was placed atop to keep it all down and a can wall to make the edge. Additional gutters on the front will collect water and divert it to the cisterns via a wet pipe that stays charged at height of cistern water levels.
The roof framing and greenhouse framework were both specked in hardwood due to bush fire regulations. Merbau was ethically harvested from New Guinea and is one of the nicest materials I've ever had the pleasure of chiseling, cutting and installed. Three carpenters including myself took on the majority of the woodwork along with some great help from the crew and volunteers. The exposed rafters and posts provide an eloquent touch to the quirky and random shape of the build. Large windows are to be installed in the front of the greenhouse giving ample light to the bustling future greens of the planter witch is yet to be installed. An absolute masterpiece of the space is the bottle wall framed in hardwood that separates the living/dining room area in the vault from the greenhouse. This eye catcher has an assortment of different colored bottles as well as windows above and beside the beautiful french doors. The ceiling will be finished in mini fluted corrugated metal between the upper rafters leaving much of the hardwood to the naked eye. The floor will be rammed earth in the vault and the rest will be slate. The bathroom will have a built in place tub and conventional toilet flushed by grey water along with a washing machine.
In closing this build has had a profound effect on my life and I have witnessed an unparalleled feeling of joy mixed with a greater respect for natural building. The meals that were prepared for dinner and throughout the day are etched in my head as some of the best I will ever have. A group effort was undertaken for certain tasks such as dishes, cleaning, and cooking along with a camp mom and dad on hand. The amazing stories of peoples lives and their dreams of the future for building is an echo for my new path in this unstable world of architecture, building, and engineering. I would like to thank those who taught me new skills and showed me strengths and wizardry.
This new beginning we must all think of now will be the base of our children's lives. A dawning of realization is to come and those unprepared to face the elements will not survive. Resonance amongst those who have the moral tenacity to endure persecution of new ideas will be rewarded. Those who follow the grain with a vale over their eyes will meet an uphill battle. While the more informed survive through a vessel of fortitude.
Thank you Martin Freney
Jesse Clark
Living Solutions Group