Earthbag Construction

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You can build a magnificent shelter with a couple of rolls of barbed wire, a bale of bags, a shovel and nothing more than the earth beneath your feet. This is the premise that inspired the imagination of visionary architect Nader Khalili when he conceived the idea of “sandbag architecture.” In his quest to seek solutions to social dilemmas such as affordable housing and environmental degradation, Khalili drew on his skills as a contemporary architect while exercising the ingenuity of his native cultural heritage; earthen architecture is common in his homeland, Iran, and throughout the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Mediterranean.

According to many building professionals and environmental groups, earthen buildings currently house more than one-third of the world’s population. Thousands of years ago, people discovered and utilized the principles of arch and dome construction. By applying this ancient structural technology, combined with a few modern-day materials, Khalili has cultivated a dynamic, contemporary form of earthen architecture that we simply call “earthbag building.” He teaches this technique at the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture in Hesperia.

SIMPLICITY AND BEAUTY

Earthbag construction uses earth as the primary structural element, and it helps create curvaceous, sensual architecture while providing structural integrity. Earthbag structures can be monolithic, meaning that an entire structure is built from foundation to walls to roof using the same materials and methods throughout. Corbelled earthbag domes (bags laid horizontally and stair-stepped up to form the dome) foster simplicity and beauty. Earthbag domes designed with arch openings can eliminate 95 percent of the lumber used to build the average stick-frame house. (See the Honey House photo in the image gallery.)

Earthbag building utilizes the ancient technique of rammed earth in conjunction with modern woven polypropylene bags as a flexible form. The basic procedure is simple:

• Fill the bags using suitable pre-moistened earth.
• Close, fold and pin the bags to make neat square-cornered rectangles similar to grocery-store brown bags.
• Lay the finished bags in a masonry-style running bond.
• Thoroughly compact with hand tampers after a row has been laid.
• Lay two strands of four-point barbed wire, pushed down with bricks, between every row. This acts as a “Velcro mortar,” cinching the bags in place and providing exceptional tensile strength (resistance to lengthwise stress) while allowing the rows to be stepped, creating domes and other unusual shapes.
• Apply exterior and interior plasters.

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