The sustainable home ship
IN the 1970s, architect Michael Reynolds sought to create a sustainable and economically feasible home that relied solely on natural energy sources.
It was a time when environmentalism was beginning to boom in the wake of 1960s counterculture. He came up with a passive solar house that was designed to be almost entirely selfreliant and off- the- grid.
The houses were built using natural and recycled materials such as earth- filled tyres for the walls, and had a unique water harvesting and waste management system.
The set- up was also conducive to all- year- round crop production. These environmentally responsible homes were aptly dubbed Earthships.
Non- primitive sustainability
These homes are now designed and marketed by American company Earthship Biotecture. Earthships have gained quite a following in its place of origin, New Mexico, and have been built in numerous other locations around the world, including African countries.
Today, Reynold’s vision is embodied in the form of the common U- shaped earth- filled tyre homes.
Earthships have been hailed the homes of the future for their sustainability measures and relatively low cost and labour requirements.
They promote an owner builder approach, urging prospective homeowners who are environmentally conscious to build their own Earthships using inexpensive natural materials.
These alternative homes are designed as autonomous structures without centralised utility sources. Water is harvested using rain and snow catchment with potable water production from a pump and filtration system.
Treated water is used sparingly for cleaning, cooking and farming.
Earthships are largely solarpowered while some also utilise turbines to harvest wind as an energy source.
These methods create enough energy to power various modern day electronic devices, which means that inhabitants will not be entirely cut off from technology despite this seemingly primitive set- up.
They also utilise the properties of thermal mass and passive solar heating and cooling to regulate temperature indoors.
The load- bearing walls absorb heat during the day and radiate it at night. Earthships are commonly built for optimum solar exposure, with a solar- oriented wall angled to allow maximum exposure to the sun in winter.
In tropical countries such as Nicaragua, the Earthship has been modified to block sun out, prevent overheating and increase ventilation.
This can be done by adjusting angles of the glass front, using large roof overhangs and a lowmass attic, as well as burying long cooling tubes in the earth.
The complexity of novelty
Despite being around for more than 40 years, these buildings are still considered experimental housing even in their home base of the United States.
This means that they do not adhere to the same laws as urban housing developments – in fact, Reynolds encountered many complications in attempting to convince people that Earthships were a safe and viable housing option for the masses.
Lack of funding and appropriate insurance coverage have also been identified as major drawbacks in purchasing and maintaining these homes.
Earthship owners have reported various problems with the structure and design of their homes, and the lack of suitable insurance means they are left to fix these problems themselves. Sustainability clearly has a cost of its own.
Relying solely on its design for temperature control does come with its own set of issues too, especially if there is a lack of proper insulation.
Since the original Earthship was created for the warm and sunny weather of New Mexico, the design needs to be altered to suit weather demands if built elsewhere.
Research and development must be carried out to create designs that work best for the area.
Earthships present an idea that challenges conventional modern housing.
It will likely take some time and wider adaptation by the masses before it is viable on a global platform.
After all, these houses were originally designed in the 1970s and some updating is required for them to functionally exist today.
While they hold potential as a green living option, the bare minimum nature of Earthships call to question our complex modern needs and how much we are willing to sacrifice in the name of sustainability.
Beyond that, however, Earthships serve as a reminder of the numerous ways we can play a part in the green movement by slightly altering our lifestyles and expectations.