Earthships are primarily designed to work as autonomous buildings using thermal mass construction and natural cross ventilation assisted by thermal draught (Stack effect) to regulate indoor temperature. These are generally off-the-grid homes, minimizing their reliance on public utilities and fossil fuels. Earthships are built to utilize the available local resources, especially energy from the sun. In this age of increased garbage accumulation, it is essential to reduce the waste clutter and earthships are an ideal option. This paper discusses the construction aspects, merits and demerits of earthships.

1. EARTHSHIPS

2. BIOTECTURE
 Developed in New Mexico, United States, by
Michael Reynolds, an ingenious architect.
 Refers to “biological” construction.
 The most versatile and economical, sustainable
green building design in the world, customizable
to any climate.

3. WHAT IS AN EARTHSHIP?
Earthships are
 Earth-sheltered.
 Off the grid.
 Self-sustained.
 Passive solar houses.

4. EARTH SHELTERED
 Earth sheltering is the architectural practice of
using earth against building walls .
 For external thermal mass.
 To reduce heat loss.
 To easily maintain a steady
indoor air temperature.

5. OFF GRID
 Not connected to the main or national transmission
grid in electricity.
 Off-the-grid homes are
autonomous.
 Able to operate completely
independent of all public utility
services.

6. PASSIVE SOLAR HOUSES
 Windows, walls, and floors are made to collect,
store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat
in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer.
 Doesn't involve the use of mechanical and electrical
devices.
 Take advantage of the local climate.

7. CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
Constructed using
 Rammed earth tires/ tire bales.
 Used cans/bottles.
 Thermal Mass
 Embodied Energy Properties required

8. THERMAL MASS
 mass of the building provides "inertia" against
temperature fluctuations.
 absorb thermal energy when the surroundings are
higher in temperature than the mass
 give thermal energy back when the surroundings
are cooler
Ideal materials
High specific heat capacity
High density

9. EMBODIED ENERGY
 The sum of all the energy required to produce any
goods or services.
 Sum total of the energy necessary for an entire
product life-cycle.
 Materials used in earthships should have low
embodied energy.

10. DESIGN PRINCIPLES
 Building with natural & recycled materials.
 Thermal & solar heating and cooling.
 Solar & wind electricity.
 Contained sewage treatment.
 Water harvesting.
 Food production.

11. BUILDING WITH NATURAL & RECYCLED
MATERIALS
 Earth rammed tires
 primary material used
is compacted earth.
 recycled automotive
tires filled with
compacted earth.
 small gaps in the
frames, due to the tires
being round, are filled
with recycled materials.

12. TYRES AS BUILDING UNITS
Preparation:

13. TIRE BALES
 made by compressing waste tires into a rectangular
shape with a large hydraulic press.

14. CHARACTERISTICS OF TIRES
 Indigenous.
 Can be fashioned with little or no energy.
 Thermal Mass property.
 Durability.
 Resilient.
 Low specific skill requirements.
 Low tech use/application.

15. THERMAL & SOLAR HEATING AND COOLING
 Comfort: Earthships maintain comfortable
temperatures in any climate.
 The outer few feet of the earth heats up and cools
off in response to surface weather.
 However about four feet and beyond, the
temperature is more constant (around 58 degrees).
 Here, the earth can be used to both cool and
stabilize temperature if the home is appropriately
designed.

17.  Warmth
 If you want heat, you admit the sun.
 The more mass, the more storage capacity.
 When there is no sun, the heat stored in the mass
radiates into the space.
Sun
heats
Mass
stores
Heat
Insulator

18.  Coolness
 the cooler earth temperature is admitted and the
sun is blocked.
 cool mass of the earth connects with the mass of
the shelter.
 gets absorbed into the shelter mass and leaks into
the living space.
 the thermal mass of both the earth and shelter is a
storage battery for temperature.

19.  Insulation & Thermal Mass
 Insulation can help keep temperature in a shelter.
 It neither collects nor stores temperature.
 It blocks the passage of temperature from inside to
out and visa versa.
 Good insulation has millions of tiny air spaces.
 This slow up the movement of temperature by
causing it to pass from air space to air space.

21. ELECTRICITY
 Produce their own electricity with a prepackaged
photovoltaic / wind power system.
 Energy is stored in batteries and supplied to your
electrical outlets.
 Can have multiple sources of power, all automated,
including grid-intertie.

22.  Electrical energy is
"harvested" from the
sun and the wind.
 Photovoltaic panels
convert the sun's
energy into DC current.
 Earthship Power
Organizing Module
draws the electricity
from the batteries,
inverts some of it for
AC electricity and
supplies it to the home.

23. GREYWATER AND BLACKWATER
 Greywater
 wastewater generated from wash hand basins,
showers and baths.
 recycled on-site for uses such as WC flushing,
landscape irrigation and constructed wetlands.
 Blackwater
 discharge from laundry, dishwashers and kitchen
sinks.
 discharge of WC's.

24. CONTAINED SEWAGE TREATMENT
 Contain, use and
reuse all household
sewage in indoor and
outdoor treatment cells.
 Containment,
Treatment &
Distribution
 Based on wetlands
concept.
 Treats gray water inside
the building
 Treats sewage from the
toilet outside of the
building.

25.  Use & Re-use
 The sewage-water for bathing, washing dishes,
also called gray water, is used and cleaned for a
second time in interior botanical cells.
 The flush toilet is the third use of the water.
 After the toilet, the water is contained and treated,
and used a fourth time in exterior botanical cells.

26. THE PATH OF WASTE WATER IN AN EARTHSHIP:
Gray water Treatment Systems
drains
Clean looking water
Flush Toilets
Conventional
septic tank
Exterior botanical
cell

27. GRAY WATER ORGANIZING MODULE (GWOM)
 pumps the treated
water to the toilet to
flush.

28. EXTERIOR BOTANICAL CELL
 objective is to eliminate
the need for public
sewage systems and
un-contained septic
systems that pollute
the earth.
 getting multiple uses
out of all water
collected in the
catchwater systems.

29. WATER HARVESTING
 Catch water on the roof, from the sky (rain & snow
melt) and use it four times.
 Collected in cisterns.
 Heated from the sun, biodiesel and/or natural gas.
 Can have city water as backup.
 Do not pollute underground water aquifers.
.

30.  Catchwater
caught from a roof.
silt catches
cisterns
Water Organizing Module
pressure tank
filters
Gravity-fed
channels

31.  The Water Organizing
Module
 Water from the city,
cistern, your well, etc.
hooked up to the
WOM.
 Automated systems
can manage your water
levels.
 Filters clean the water
for human consumption
and use.

32. FACING THE FACTS
 If there are energy shortages, individuals will have
water problems.
 If there is ecological damage, individuals will have
water problems.
 If there are economic crisis, individuals will have
water problems.
 If there are computer glitches, individuals will have
water problems.
 If there is political turmoil, individuals will have
water problems.
 If there is war, individuals will have water problems.

33. FOOD HARVESTING
 gray water is recyled
and purified by feeding
into an indoor planter.

34.  Hence, earthship is an independant module which
consists of following systems:
 Water.
 Power.
 Sewage Treatment.
 Comfort.
 Food.

36.  Load bearing walls
 Non load bearing walls
CONSTRUCTION
Earth rammed tires
Tire bales
Aluminium cans/Bottles in cement mortar

38. FOUNDATION
 Made of rammed earth tires.
 Does not require a concrete foundation strip.
 Tire walls have larger footprint.
 This ensures proper load distribution.

39. WALLS
 Tires make up the exterior load bearing walls.
 It is earth sheltered.
 The south wall has large glass panels used for
passive solar heating.
 Insulation materials are used directly over the tire
before the finish is applied.
 Interior walls are made of aluminum cans and are
mortared into place with cement.
 Wire conduits can be built into the walls during
construction.

41. ROOF
Bond
beam
gives the
roof
trusses a
way to
attach to
the tires.

42. FLOOR
Once the
bond
beam is
construct
ed
concrete
is poured
to create
the floors.

43. FINAL TOUCHES
 glass panes are erected at the south or south
eastern wall.
 can be vertical or sloping depending on the climate.
 Extreme climates sloping walls
allows rays of both winter and summer sun to pass
through.

47. MODELS
 Global model.
 Vaulted global model.
 Simple Survival.
 Packaged model.
 Custom designs.

48.  Global Model
 most universal model for the developed world.
 can be modified for almost any climate.
 comes in many sizes.
 can be built in one month.
 Vaulted Global Model
 the latest Earthship design.
 Better designing.
 more efficient in terms of performance and
construction.
 fits better into the hands of the people.

49.  Simple Survival
 compact houses
 uses basic techniques

50.  Packaged Model
 Most economical & versatile Earthship in terms of
construction and building. It can be adapted to any
climate.
 It comes in any size.
 It comes as a split level for stepping up a hill.
 North/south dimensions cannot change but
east/west can be as long as you like.
 It comes with an open end to the east or the west.
 It comes with a garage entering in to the east or
west.

52. VAULTED GLOBAL MODEL

53. ADVANTAGES
 Energy Efficiency
• provide a large amount of thermal mass
• keep the house cool in the summer and warm in the
winter.
 Self-Sustainability
• designed to take advantage of natural resources
• oriented to take advantage of passive solar radiation
• rainwater stored in cisterns and gray water is recycled
 "Buildability"
• can be owner built.
 Easy Availability of materials

54. DISADVANTAGES
 Resellability
• house is "different" from the norm
 Building Permits
• problems with local building codes
• getting approval for the rammed tires might be a
problem.
 Financing
• home loans are not available for earthships yet as
they are a relatively new technology.

55. CONCLUSION
Earthship
 Offers possibilities for adaption and mitigation of the
effects of
 Climate change.
 Energy decline.
 Resource scarcity.
 Pollution.
 Improves preparedness for natural disasters.
 Provides the means to curb excessive resource
consumption.