Alternative Construction: Contemporary Natural Building Methods

Part I. DESIGN PRINCIPLES

1. Introduction

The Natural Building Movement 3
Lynne Elizabeth

The Realities of Specifying Environmental Building Materials 9
Cassandra Adams

2. A New Context for Building Codes and Regulation 19
David Eisenberg

3. Natural Conditioning of Buildings 37
Ken Haggard, Polly Cooper, and Jennifer Rennick with assistance from Phil Niles

4. Structural Properties of Alternative Building Materials 71
Bruce King, P.E.

PART II. SYSTEMS AND MATERIALS

5. Adobe 87
Michael Moquin

6. Cob 117
Michael Smith

7. Rammed Earth 151
David Easton

8. Modular Contained Earth

Earthbag 175
Joseph Kennedy and Paulina Wojciechowska with special acknowledgment of the work of Nader Khalili

Earth-RammedTires 190
Michael Reynolds

9. Light Clay 195
Robert Laporte and Frank Andresen with special acknowledgment of the work of Franz Volhard

10. Straw-Bale 209
Kelly Lerner, Bob Theis, and Dan Smith

11. Bamboo 235
Darrel DeBoer and Karl Bareis

12. Earthen Finishes

Earth Plasters 255
Carole Crews

Earth Floors 264
Bill and Athena Steen

Part III. APPLICATIONS

13. Integrated Systems with Rammed Earth
Charles Sturt University, Thurgoona Campus,

New South Wales, Australia 273
Marci Webster-Mannison

14. Straw, Clay, and Carrizo

Obregon Project, Northern Mexico 283
Bill and Athena Steen

15. Light-Clay House Additions

School/Residence in Wisconsin 297
Lou Host-Jablonski, AIA

16. Variations on Earthbag

The HoneyHouse—Moab, Utah 309
Kaki Hunter and Doni Kiffmeyer

Residences in Arizona and Wisconsin 313
Dominic Howes

Sandbag House, RumCay Island, Bahamas 315
Steve Kemble and Carol Escott

17. The Value of Indigenous Ways

Habitat for Humanity International 323
C. Wayne Nelson

18. Building Technology Transfer

Raising Straw-BaleHousing for Farmworkers in California 333
Kelly Lerner, Dan Smith, and Bob Theis

Introduction of Straw-Bale Construction to Mongolia and China 339
Kelly Lerner

Epilogue

Finding the Soul of Natural Building 357
Tom Bender

Appendix A

Recommended References 365

Appendix B

Alternative Construction Resource Centers 375

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS 381

INDEX 387