Sustainable Superadobe Construction Methodology

1. SUPERADOBE TECHNOLOGY Presented by: KEVIN J PETER Guided by: Ms. SUFINA A. M.

2. INTRODUCTION • In 1984, NASA's first symposium on lunar bases and space activities of the 21st century received the presentations dealing with the utilization of onsite natural resources to construct future lunar and martian habitations • The Sandbag/ Superadobe/ Superblock technology was presented here

3. HISTORY OF SUPERADOBE TECHNOLOGY • Military infantrymen have used sand filled sacks to create bunkers and barriers for protection prior to World War I • German architect Frei Otto is said to have experimented with earth bags • The technique’s current pioneer is Nader Khalili who originally developed the Superadobe system in 1984 in response to a NASA call for housing designs for future human settlements on the Moon and on Mars • Since 1995, the Super Adobe Method has been put to use in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica, Chile, Iran, India, Siberia, Mali, and Thailand, as well as in the U.S

4. ABOUT NADER KHALILI • Iranian-born California architect • Designer and innovator of the Geltaftan Earth-and-Fire System known as ceramic houses as well as the Superadobe building technologies • His impressions have been collected in his book Racing Alone • Founder and director of the Cal-Earth Institute dedicated to research and development in earth and space architecture technologies for the moon and Mars

5. WHAT IS SUPERADOBE TECHNOLOGY? • Form of earthbag construction • The technique uses layered long fabric tubes or bags filled with adobe to form a compression structure • 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)

6. Goingintodetail…….. Structural aspects Materials used Uses Safety standards and comforts

7. PRINCIPLES OF SUPERADOBE CONSTRUCTION • Base planning units on natural boundaries or flows, such as aquifers, transition zones, or flows of air, heat, or water, materials, nutrients, and people • Design with nature • Consider global or regional effects of the building process • Encourage inter jurisdictional planning • Incorporate broad, cooperative, community-based local decision making……

8. …. • Maintain longterm monitoring and feedback on effects of buildings • Apply an interdisciplinary approach to information • Integrate (don’t just balance) economic, social, and environmental concerns • Link ecosystem planning to democratic change, social learning, community building, and environmental education • Use, wherever possible, locally sourced materials with low embedded energy

9. ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES OF A SUPERADOBE BUILDING • Minimal use of wood • Minimal use of such as steel that require a great deal of energy to produce • Thick adobe walls provide passive cooling and heating • Triple glazed windows absorb heat-emitting UV rays, cooling the structure • Electricity both for the construction and the building’s operation will be supplied by photovoltaics • Sustainable materials will be chosen for flooring, cabinets, doors, etc.

10. CONSTRUCTION PROCESS • Digging a circular pit of desired size • One layer of the sandbag role is then laid into place, and consequently filled with either moistened earth or a mixture of 90% earth and 10% concrete. • The bag is then tamped down with a tamping tool, to eliminate settling and provide structural stability. • A line of four-pointed barbed wire is then hooked down the middle of the top of the bag. • Upon this layer, successive layers are built up in the Lancet form, leaving appropriate space for doorways and windows where desired.

20. FINISHING OF A SUPERADOBE BUILDING • Khalili developed a system that used 85% earth and 15% cement plaster and which is then covered by “Reptile”, a veneer of grapefruit sized balls of cement and earth. Reptile is easy to install and because the balls create easy paths for stress, it doesn't crack with time • Some Superadobe buildings have even been covered by living grass, a kind of Green roof • The floor of a Superadobe building is usually finished last so that plumbing and electrical lines can be run underneath

24. ADVANTAGES OF SUPERADOBE • Most of the building material is free, local, and used without harm to the environment. • Homeowners can build a Superadobe house themselves, filling and placing the bags by hand. • The earth-filled bags provide insulation and thermal mass. • Sandbags are resistant to fires, wind, and of course, floods. • Superadobe structures have passed California's tests for earthquake safety.

29. CONCLUSION • Superadobe technology, created in the 1990’s by Nader Khalili is gaining attention for its simplicity and sustainability • Superadobe transforms modern architecture, which depletes natural resources, into a method of building which is affordable, sustainable, functional and beautiful • The Superadobe technique meets all Los Angeles County building code, the strictest codes in the United States • It has been tested and proved to withstand earthquakes of up to 8.0 on the Richter Scale • It is comfortable in extremes of temperature and is fire resistant • Thus superadobe technology is a perfect green building technique and will get wide spread soon

30. REFERENCES 1. Rob Wainwright, “Building an earthbag dome”, The Owner Building (TOB), pp. 6-11, February/March 2008. 2. Joseph F Kennedy, “ Building with earth bags”, Natural Building Colloquium, Networks Productions, 14 February 2007. 3. Brooke Barnes, Mihyun Kang, and Huantian Cao, “Sustainable Characteristics of Earthbag Housing”, Housing and SocietyJournal ”, 2006. 4. “When Shelter is made from the Earth's Own Dust”, New York Times, 15 April 1999. 5. “What is superadobe?”, http://calearth.org/building-designs/what-is superadobe.html, Accessed on 29-08-2011. 6. “Build a small earthbag dome”, http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/weblog/2007/08/short-history-of-earthbag-building.htm, Accessed on 29-08-2011.

31. THANK YOU