Living space for Volunteers at the Baan Unrak Childrens home
Author Dada Krpasundarananda
Thailand, Sangkla buri
Authors Cal-Earth
Living space for Volunteers at the Baan Unrak Childrens home
Strengths: “Super Adobe” is a simple and versatile building system by Nader Khalili that empowers people to build their own home. It's fun to build, fire proof, tornado proof, highly earthquake resistant, high thermal mass to keep comfortable temperature. It can be beautiful and creatively finished for dignified short term living in emergency shelters or long term in domes like this. Energy used to build is used effectively as the earth mix is only handled once and goes straight where it's needed.
Difficulties: It's a bit labor intensive. (though a lot less than other earth building systems) It has an unconventional shape that many people need to get used to. Furniture and finishing is also harder to make though it inspires creativity! In many poorer countries earth buildings are for the poorest so people some don't want to associate with it and prefer the concrete square boxes from the wealthy West even though they give less comfort.
Extra information: This project was commissioned by a nun running a children's home/woman's refugee center in Thailand. More detailed information on that: http://www.baanunrak.org/ More on SuperAdobe: http://www.calearth.org The $1500 was for the plastered shell of 19m2/44m3 More about the construction of this dome: http://news.dadaksa.com/travel_zine_01_49/log41.htm
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