patti stouter, simple earth structures alternative... · light above-straw higher from water, trash...

Patti Stouter, Simple Earth Structures NY/ New Mexico

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Light above-

Straw higher

from water,

trash less

vulnerable to

damage or fire

Heavy below-

12” thick bag

walls

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15” Thick walls

Thermal mass

Modest compressive strength

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Tubes/ bags; Mesh/ Solid; Clay/ Sand/ Rubble fill5

20- 25% cost of cement block

Included tensile materials

15” thick thermal mass

Bag cost

Heavy labor

Hard to cut openings later

In earthquake zones must plaster to preserve bags

Photo: S Smoot (Utah Haiti Relief) 6

Rasin FoundationClinic & Guesthouse

Children of Hope Orphanage School

Photos: Above- Rasin Fdn; Right- S Smoot 7

Haiti Christian Development Project Phase 1 Housing Phase 2 Plans

Haitians love 12+ houses built to date•2 rooms $2200•Coolness in hot season•‘Haitian style’

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Interconnected

3-dimensional matrix

Attached through walls to plaster

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Straight walls tested :

Queens U, Canada

Hohai U, China

Cape Peninsula U of Tech, South Africa

U Bath, UK

U Florida, US

Hard to disassemble

Doesn’t collapse

Domes proven for seismic hazard (Cal earth)

Photo: Croft

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Use sand or sandy fill

4-5 courses thick

Similar damping to rubber

Reduce strength needed by 1/3?

Hohai U report 2011

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Increase friction:

Wire mesh pins Mortar anchors Strapping

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Stiffen:•Vertical rebar •Curves, piers •Mesh in plaster

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Mesh corners Metal braces Rebar braces in piers or corners

Photo: R Johnson

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Flexible

Mortar anchors: $8

Wire mesh pins: $45

Rebar inside walls: $60 Stabilized & braced piers

holding up raw wall:

$200 Mesh & cement stucco:

$210- $240

Steel-braced corners:

$160- $260 Cement-stabilized bag

fill whole building:

$300+ Steel-cement stress skin

panel: $500

Stiffer

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1 or 2 rebar in each small post

Capture 1 strand wire

Must be easy to build

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Included posts at corner s and intersections

3” x 5” vertical post minimum

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Filler to reduce amount of concrete

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Pour grade beams in sand bag forms

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plastic mesh

corrugated metal

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Flexible and strong strawbale But must keep dry

Must cover with lime plaster24

Wattle and daub Light clay infill Vetiver log building

Photos: Left: K Rowell; Lower middle: Wolfe; Right: P Thammanoon25

Moderate strength structural wall for small buildings

Fill with straw

Sew tubes together

Secure to bracing

Pour clay slip

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Heavy when wet

Moderate compressive strength

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Inset in interior walls

Less exposed to weather/ bugs

Can be inspected

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Keep walls dry

Needs breathable plaster

Water-resistant base

Good roof

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SIPS panels Foam shelter Trash walls

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From problem to resource

Cement stucco ok

Insulating

Very cheap

Fire hazard

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Horizontal structural wall with rebar pins

Vertical infill tied to structural frame

Structural wall AND infill material?

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Weave rebar through mesh

Inclusions of rubble between posts

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Brace walls with more wattle

Create roofs like adobe’s Nubian vaults

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Plastic trash heading for the sea from Haiti

Hand press costs $300- $600

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Light weight means that women can build

Post-tensioning

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Non-recyclable plastics need mesh or rice bags to hold stucco

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Good compressive strength

Survived shake table test- lost one shutter

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