Earthbag

This type of alternative construction is also known as sandbag. It is very resistant to severe weather, but also to bullets and bombs.

When researching earthbag houses one name that you invariably come across is Nader Khalili. He used his familiarity with Middle Eastern architecture to create a more modern earthbag building technique. His “super adobe” method was first used in the Persian Gulf War for emergency shelters for refugees.

Traditionally, burlap bags have been used, but they eventually rot. Polypropylene bags are used today. They are more durable, if they are kept away from the sun.

The building procedure is quite simple:

1. Fill bags or tubes using suitable pre-moistened earth.
2. Close, fold, and pin the bags to make neat, square-cornered rectangles similar to grocery-store brown bags.
3. Lay the finished bags in a masonry-style running board.
4. Thoroughly compact with hand tampers after the row has been laid.
5. Lay two strands of four-point barbed wire, held down with bricks, between every row. This acts as a “Velcro mortar,” cinching the bags in place and providing exceptional tensile strength (resistance to lengthwise stress) while allowing the rows to be stepped, creating corbelled domes and other unusual shapes.
6. Over the earthbag, apply exterior and interior plasters.

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