Subject: Needed: Proven Rammed/Compacted Earth Technology

From: [email-masked] (TSI)
Date: Sun, 08 Dec 1996 13:04:56 -0800

We have overseas partners who are in the market for proven, ready-to-
export rammed or compacted earth technology, to be used for low cost and very
low cost housing projects in South and Southeast Asia, North Africa, and
Latin America.  May be electrical or gasoline powered. Would appreciate
any information.

-- 
TechSolutions International - TSI is a Seattle, Washington based company representing an expanding range of innovative products in the shelter, water treatment, greenhouse, affordable construction and emergency response/survival fields.  We are currently seeking qualified importers, agents and representatives worldwide. 

P.O. Box 60282 Seattle, WA 98160-0282
Fax: (206) 542-9340  Email: [email-masked]
WWW:  http://www.halcyon.com/tsirlr/welcome.html

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From: [email-masked] (Harris Lowenhaupt)
Date: 9 Dec 1996 19:29:38 GMT

>Latin America.  May be electrical or gasoline powered. Would appreciate

Visit the Cast Earth Web Site (URL below), and then contact the Cast Earth
consortium directly.  This new technology is the sort of thing you are
seeking.

-- 
Harris Lowenhaupt
Cast Earth
Nickel Laterites
<http://www.lvnexus.net/nimud>

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From: [email-masked] (Scott Robert Dawson)
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 06:37:55 GMT

>Latin America.  May be electrical or gasoline powered. Would appreciate

Some people I know, Pat and Chuck Potter, are building an
"Earthship" rammed-earth house in northeastern Ontario province,
Canada. This construction uses earth rammed into automobile
tires, which are stacked like bricks and serve to support the
earth as it is compressed into place. This eliminates a
mechanical earth-forming step and allows unskilled labour to
pound the earth into the tires of the walls with sledgehammers.
(Even I was able to do it!) The tires bulge under the ramming and
lock together. The walls are then parged and plastered to give a
smooth adobe-like finish. 

 The walls serve as thermal mass to retain heat or coolness
(depending on climate). The house is designed to be
self-sufficient, treating its own wastes, growing food in the
process, and (optionally) incorporating solar-electric systems. 
The key manufactured items needed are the large sunside windows-
without them the heating and cooling system does not work. 

 The design was developed in a desert climate (dry, with wide
temperature variations), and has been modified by a Toronto
architect to fit the humid continental-interior climate of the
site (lots of rain and snow, with even wider temperature
variations, especially on the colder end of the scale). I believe
there are tropical variants; their design is different. The
"Earthship" was intended to be built of inexpensive components by
mostly unskilled labour.

 The technique was originated by Michael Reynolds of Solar
Survival Architecture (SSA) in Taos, New Mexico state, USA. 

 Check out SSA's Web pages at:
 
        http://www.taosnet.com/earthship/

Here is the source, and contact info.
 
There are also [email-masked]'s pages at: 
 
        http://www.slip.net/~ckent/earthship/

...and Stuart Simmon's pages at:

        http://www.simwell.com/earthship/index.html
  
Both these pages have many pichtures of finished interiors, as
well as exterior shots of their semi-arid locations. 
 
Lastly, there are my pages at:
 
         http://www.interlog.com/~srdawson/erthship.htm 
 
Like the house, these pages are under construction. I'm
documenting the changes needed for our climate. 
 
I am watching this project with great interest; it is one of the
first ones to be built in our bioregion. If it is successful, I
and a lot of other people who presently cannot afford
"conventional" (read, expensive to buy and operate) North
American housing will move toward this. 
 
I would recommend you speak with the people at SSA; they can be
reached at: 
                            Solar Survival Architecture
                                   P.O Box 1041
                                 Taos NM 87571 USA
                                  +1.505.758.9870
                             [email-masked] 
 
The builders of the Ontario house can be reached at: 
 
                               Pat and Chuck Potter
                                  PO Box GB344
                                       RR#2
                                  Gilmour Ontario
                                     K0L 1W0
                                     Canada
                                 +1 613 474 0435
                             [email-masked]
 
Hope this helps...