Good Earth Global Earthbag Construction

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

Good Earth Global

Manufacturing/Building Method

Polypropylene bags, barbed wire, rebar, and sand and cement mix are purchased elsewhere and brought to site. The earth used in the bags and the rubble for the foundation are found on the site.

Intellectural Property Type

Select Type

User Provision Model

Good Earth Global offers programs that include:

Training and education: Standard 7-day workshops, private workshops, on-site training, lectures and presentations, conferences and exhibitions.

Service trips: Construction trips for schools, universities, and building professionals.

Build with them: Good Earth Nepal offers services for the design and management of Earthbag projects and can include everything from conducting site surveys and evaluation, performing cost and budget estimates, meeting with the community and obtaining commitments for required labor and support, designing structures, purchasing equipment and supplies from local merchants, hiring local laborers, establishing a worksite and accommodating volunteers and interns, managing and supervising the construction, and safety inspection.

Other services offered in the program include volunteering and internship, research and development, and advocacy and government relations.

Good Earth Global has a collection of detailed drawings for Earthbag buildings that are freely available upon request.

Distributions to Date Status

Good Earth Global has completed more than thirty Earthbag designs for houses as well as designs for schools for specific geographical requirements. Thirty four Earthbag projects are outlined on the Good Earth Global website.

Design Specifications

The main building materials are soil, polypropylene bags or tubes, and barbed wire. Components that can be added to make a building more earthquake resistant include a rubble trench foundation, thick walls (16 - 19 in.), concrete bond beams, and reinforcements that include vertical rebars, buttresses, and corner reinforcement.

Detailed specifications can be found in the article Earthbag Technology - Simple, Safe and Sustainable, by Dr. Owen Geiger, Director of the Geiger Research Institute of Sustainable Building, and Kateryna Zemskova, Co-Founder and President of Good Earth Nepal. The article was published in the Nepal Engineer's Association Technical Journal.

Technical Support

Technical support can be provided by builders who Good Earth Global has trained in Earthbag construction.

Replacement Components

It is unlikely that repairs are needed (see Lifecycle section), however additional bags and other required materials can be purchased separately should sections of a structure need to be rebuilt.

Lifecycle

Though the full lifespan is unknown, some of the earliest Earthbag structures, such as those constructed by Nader Khalili, founder of CalEarth, have been standing for 20 years. An estimated 55 Earthbag structures built in Nepal survived the 2015 earthquake.

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

Performance targets include safety, ease of construction, reduced use of materials, reduced use of fuel and transportation, less pollution, and cost effective.

Vetted Performance Status

Structural engineers reviewed the standard earth bag designs submitted to the government of Nepal. Earthbags are now included in the building code. Although Good Earth Nepal has not had the resources to conduct a shake table test, 55 Earthbag buildings withstood the 2015 Nepal earthquake.^{Interview with representative}

Safety

Workers are subject to the general dangers of a construction site such as working from heights and with sharp tools. Earth bag construction does not require the operation of any large machinery.

Complementary Technical Systems

Complementary technical systems include earthen flooring, wood frame with slate tiles or corrugated metal panel roofing, or HyPar thin shell concrete roof.

Academic Research and References

Compliance with regulations

Good Earth Global's Earthbag design and protocols have been approved and published by Nepali Federal Government, Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC).

Other Information

Natural Building Blog - Earthbag Building & Other Natural Building Methods.

Earthbag Building website

Earthbag Solutions for Disaster- Prone Regions

Earthbag Options for Nepal: Draft Guidelines for Reinforcement