
What is Superadobe? - enduser
http://calearth.org/building-designs/what-is-superadobe.html
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netcan
Superadobe is a fun example of a "solution looking for a problem," and I don't
think that's categorically a bad thing.

These undeniably have a cool tatooine look. For someone with a bit of land
(even a nice sized garden) in arid climates, this could be a fun project to do
with teenage kids. Do the workshop(s), plan a structure and build something
cool. If you can get salvaged windows, doors and a floor it could be a
genuinely useful structure like a studio or fun guest cabin.

Landscaping would also be a good project.

It would be cool if they had some photos of structures, and the number of
hours it would take a couple of amateurs to build it.

~~~
dredmorbius
[http://calearth.org/faq.html#timetobuild](http://calearth.org/faq.html#timetobuild)

 _The construction schedule depends on how large the project is and how much
labor is available. There are optimal numbers of personnel if the project is
to be built without any kind of mechanization. The rate at which the mix is
produced dictates how fast a project can go. The optimal number seems to be 7
persons where one or two are making mix and the remainder are split into two
groups laying two bags at the same time. From past experience there are some
fairly predictable estimates as to what can be achieved: 1) Three reasonably-
fit persons can work very efficiently laying 100 linear ft of bag per day. 2)
A double eco-dome (see web-site under "buildings and designs" can be built in
just 10 weeks. (This is bag work alone - and it is estimated that all finish
work will take about the same amount of time.) There are, of course, time-
saving techniques which are discussed during workshops and training sessions._

~~~
netcan
Cool!

Though, one of those double eco-domes is a pretty ambitious project for a
weekend DIY-er. It's a whole tatooine house!^

What I had in mind is say, a 3-4 meter (diameter) dome with one door, one
small window. How long would that take 1 parent + 2 (lazy goodfornothing)
teens? Another small project might be 1.5m walls to surround an existing
gazebo or emote other backyard structure. IE, something that's undeniably a
building but is accessible, ideally as far under 1,000 man-hours as possible.

^If you build one of these, please don't leave out the below surface
courtyard. It's essential!

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JDDunn9
I've always preferred compressed earth blocks to superadobe
([http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/CEB_Press](http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/CEB_Press)).
I think CEB has more potential to replace western buildings at a lower cost
and low carbon footprint.

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saljam
Nader Khalili's other design, the Geltaftan[0], is worth mentioning. These are
essentially clay buildings which are then fired to produce ceramic houses.

[0]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceramic_houses#Forms_and_techni...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceramic_houses#Forms_and_techniques)

~~~
wodenokoto
That sounds super cool. Any pictures of the process available?

~~~
dredmorbius
Multiple YouTube videos if you search on "SuperAdobe".

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mtpearce
An orphanage built with SuperAdobe structures survived both earthquakes Nepal.
[https://www.facebook.com/calearth/photos/a.460151758575.2529...](https://www.facebook.com/calearth/photos/a.460151758575.252962.82022703575/10152921425353576)
They also have an online class.
[http://calearth.org/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=41](http://calearth.org/shop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=41)

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contingencies
The biggest problem with earth building, which I looked in to quite a bit a
couple of years ago, seems to be the lack of ventilation and drainage options
relative to other types of building. You still need foundations. Yes, you can
make it work. No, it's not always suitable - right tool for the job.

Much like other alternate building techniques (straw bale, etc.) it faces
significant regulatory challenges in many jurisdictions due to a lack of
familiarity with structural properties and the variable nature of the inputs
(what type of clay, straw, etc.). Usually it's cost prohibitive to try in
cities, because the labour costs are higher. In those situations, prefabbing
concrete/other types of slabs and dragging them on site can be a really fast
and cheapish way (though environmentally questionable) to get a house up. In
general architects and engineers are also far less familiar with the alternate
techniques.

As for the 'tattoine look' starwars reference, that was actually filmed in the
underground houses of Matmata, Tunisia ... which I photographed during the
Tunisian revolution for Wikipedia Commons over here -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Matmata_Panorama.jpg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Matmata_Panorama.jpg)

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widdershins
>Long or short sandbags are filled with on-site earth and arranged in layers
or long coils (compression) with strands of barbed wire placed between them to
act as both mortar and reinforcement (tension).

Is this really patentable?

~~~
wodenokoto
Why not? This seems like the kind of idea that patents are made for.

* It's cheap and easy to implement and copy * It seems obvious once you tell it to someone, but apparently it took space exploration research to come up with it.

You can't keep such an invention secret, but it might have taken a lot of
trial and error to come up with it, so in that sense, why shouldn't the
inventor have the possibility to monetize it?

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bloaf
There are a number of these sorts of historically-inspired alternative
building techniques. Others include rammed earth, Earthships, straw bale, and
monolithic domes.

I think they are all cool in a pop-ecological sense, and do have some
compelling advantages. However, I can't help but think that there is a reason
we've settled on our current wood or steel frame housing. If I had to guess at
those reasons:

Aesthetic longevity. No one doubts that a concrete dome or pile of sandbags
will last a long time. However, I suspect that keeping the appearance nice
would involve much more work than a typical home siding system. In addition,
while some people might like sci-fi or "hippy-commune" aesthetics in their
neighborhood, I would suppose that most places would hold new construction to
a somewhat higher (read:expensive) aesthetic standard.

Post-construction flexibility: Want to change the floor plan a bit when moving
into a new house? Many of these alternative methods result in a building that
is a bit more "set in stone" than framed buildings. Also re-configuring
plumbing, electrical, or duct-work is likely to involve a lot more effort than
re-hanging some drywall.

Multi-story limitations: some methods do allow for multiple stories, but it
seems to dramatically increase the cost of construction, and the number of
floors is usually limited to 2. This means that the alternative building
styles work best in places where space is cheap; footprint constraints would
be serious problems (see also: alternative methods produce much thicker
walls.)

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koberstein
If anybody is interested in further reading on the subject, I would highly
recommend the book 'Earthbag Building: The Tools, Tricks and Techniques'

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dhamidi
All the pictures on the website seem to be taken in arid climates. Does anyone
know how well Superadobe is suited to more humid/cold climates (e.g.
Scandinavia)?

Adding layers of insulation on the inside seems non-trivial, given the dome
shape and the already thick walls.

~~~
dredmorbius
FAQ: "1) Do these buildings work in wet and/or cold climates?"

[http://calearth.org/faq.html#climates](http://calearth.org/faq.html#climates)

 _Although generally and historically associated with arid, desert climates,
earth architecture and specifically super-adobe construction is as suited to
cold and wet climates as any other type of construction. With regard to water
issues it is necessary to properly waterproof the building and this is
achieved in a multi-elemental approach which is discussed and demonstrated in
detail during our workshops and training sessions. The question of water is
not so much how do we protect the building from water but rather how do we
harvest the resource of water from the building!_

I'd also suspect, generally, that drainage and humidity control would be
issues in moister / wetter climates. Cold ones also, as condensation from warm
interiors onto cold surfaces will likely be an issue.

~~~
dhamidi
Thanks, somehow I missed that.

> _The question of water is not so much how do we protect the building from
> water but rather how do we harvest the resource of water from the building!_

"Harvesting" water from the building is certainly an interesting idea!

> _as condensation from warm interiors onto cold surfaces will likely be an
> issue_

That's a good point.

What's your opinion on the feasibility of this building technique for urban
areas (in say, Western Europe)? I can imagine it to be hard to get a permit
for building such a dome, as it doesn't blend in with the surrounding
structures. Other than that, the low cost make it very attractive.

~~~
dredmorbius
I really don't see the method as appropriate for dense urban construction. It
seems far better suited to rural spaces with little access to modern building
materials. Though this really isn't my bailiwick.

There's a design for dense modern urban areas: it's brick-and-timber multi-
story construction. You'll find it evident throughout Europe, with basic
designs largely established by the 19th century if not before. The advantage
of such construction is that it greatly minimizes land use, and hence
transportation, a major concern for urban lifestyles. Designs which require
large areas, aren't amenable to dense and multistory construction, and whose
construction itselft is disruptive to adjacent properties (digging for earth
fill in this case) strike me as a poor fit.

In rural areas it might work, though again issues of moisture and cool
climates would concern me.

There's also an existing high-density earth-based construction model, the
pueblo:

[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/USA_09669...](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/USA_09669_Taos_Pueblo_Luca_Galuzzi_2007.jpg)

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vfrogger
I was really hoping this article was about how to get fireworks added back to
the adobe creative suite.

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rtpg
Is this really easier to manage for building things than other techniques? It
seems pretty labor intensive.

Though I guess everything is labor intensive. And the end result looks solid
for what it is.

~~~
leni536
I think it's more interesting to build temporary dams using this. It could be
more robust than using ordinary sand bags. Their licencing could be
interesting in this regard too:

 _" Superadobe is a patented system (U.S. patent #5,934,027) freely put at the
service of humanity and the environment. Licensing is required for commercial
use."_

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brohee
What's commercial use? Can you sell your home when you move?

~~~
vinceguidry
The only entity that can sue you for infringement is the patent holder. So you
could send them an email and ask them whether they would sue if you sold your
home.

"Commercial use" in the US typically means designing and operating a business
around the idea. It would be up to a judge to decide. Here is a law cite:

[http://definitions.uslegal.com/u/used-for-commercial-
purpose...](http://definitions.uslegal.com/u/used-for-commercial-purposes/)

The relevant language here would appear to be, "intended for profit." If you
found yourself in a lawsuit, that's likely what judgment would hinge on.

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yAnonymous
>What is Superadobe?

An oxymoron.

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maxharris
Superadobe looks like something that could kill you in an earthquake.

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Angostura
From the article:

"Cal-Earth’s sandbag structures, reinforced with barbed wire, have
successfully passed tests for California’s high seismic building codes, making
them resistant to earthquakes as well as fire, flood, and hurricanes. "

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dheera
So they're building houses out of sandbags? What if the plastic bag breaks?
Why don't they coat the whole structure in something a bit more resistant to a
kid with scissors?

~~~
njharman
> Why don't they ...

Why don't you RTFA? In which you're questions are answered.

