Architectural Autonomy: Developed by Michael Reynolds, Earthships (or “land ships”) are buildings designed to be completely off-grid. They integrate passive systems for water harvesting, sewage treatment, and climate control.
Waste Integration:
- Structural Mass: Used tires packed with earth are used for load-bearing walls, providing immense thermal mass.
- Secondary Materials: Glass bottles, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans are used as aggregates in adobe or cement walls, often creating aesthetic, light-filtering “bottle walls.”
The Concept of Archiculture: Earthships combine living spaces with integrated greenhouses. This allows for food independence (even growing exotic plants like bananas in cold climates) while the plants help filter greywater and oxygenate the air. It is a “bottom-up” knowledge model that has spread globally through building workshops.
