Rationale & Aim

The Earthbaggers team has chosen to analyse-design-construct-test the use of Earthbags as a wall construction material.

Why Earthbags; short answer, floods. One of the team members comes from Queensland, where flooding occurred earlier this year. These floods saw thousands of homes inundated with water, destroying livelihoods and disrupting day to day life. One of the main methods used to limit the damage of the floods in Brisbane and surrounding areas was sandbagging, a technique which Earthbag construction is heavily tied too.

Traditionally Earthbag is a construction material used in 3^rd world countries as it is relatively inexpensive, and the contents of the bags can be filled effectively free. The traditional Earthbag house has a distinct beehive shape, with porthole windows and the structures are typically smaller single storey dwellings.

As we enter the Analysis phase of Earthbag construction we are currently researching the history and current use of Earthbags around the world. Looking ahead to design-test-construction we have set ourselves a list of goals/tests:

1- Construct a 1:2 scale model of an Earthbag wall (including a window and roof).

2- Test waterproof level the structure is under simulated rainfall.

3- Test and Compare Earthbag fillings (price, insulation quality, weight)

4- Construction of a more suburban look rather than the traditional ‘beehive’ look.

During the Analysis phase each team member has been assigned something specific to research (history, current construction techniques, etc.). When we move through the next phases, specifically construction and testing, the team will work more as a group sharing successes and hopefully not destroying a backyard in the process.

Joel.