The Guangzhou Earthship in China
written by Zhu ming(Ming) and Chen jing(CJ). translated by May Lee
Michael Reynolds, an American architect, is the creator of the earthship, a home which collects and reuses rain water; does not need to be connected to a power grid for power; controls inside house temperature with out AC or heaters; has it's own sewage treatment system; generates its own food; and uses garbage such as old tires, cans for material. In present time, under such an conditions such as global warming, nature disasters, resource hungry industries, city life and resources can't meet people's life requirements.
More and more people start to reflect - what will left for our offspring? We need a revolution.
On the evening of Mar 1st 2011, Mike Reynolds held an lecture about earthships in Guangzhou. Li yi an (Ian), who organized this lecture, is a father who is searching for sustainable way of life. The things he want to do the most is build an community with other people who have the same dream.
The earthship project started on the day after the lecture. While I was writing this article, I was also involved in the construct work, so most of this article is about the work and my thoughts about it. The construction work is on the way, the front of the building already has nine courses of tires, and up to this tire wall will be a green house; we also have made the dome of the house with steel, the dome will be able to collect rain water.
There were many volunteers from all over the country with different backgrounds. This project is just a trial, which the preparation, money, interns was not prepared well in advanced. The language, cultural communication is also an complex element during the work, but all of us hope we can through the work express our reflection about modern city life, and hope to bring some changes to it.
View Life with a New Attitude
Today when I was watching the news about Japan's nuclear crisis, suddenly the words from the film
Garbage Warrior came to my mind " just like a group of buffalo running towards the cliff, but I am not one of them, I don't want to running with them". Its very difficult to control the Japan's nuclear leak; events like this let people who more reflections on the environment.
Garbage Warrior about Michael Reynolds , his followers, and the earthship. The name earthship implies reflection about the modern society's development. Michael Reynolds, who's major was architecture, but after graduation, he thought the stuff he studied from collage was useless , because it did not suit the possible reality of the future: people will run out resources and material to have a comfortable city life, such a way of life would not work in future.
"We need to effect the whole group of buffalo, let them turn around, instead toward the cliff." Since Michael Reynolds graduate from college when he was around 20 years old, until now he is 68 years old, he tried to find an sustainable way of home construction and life for more then 40 years, with his and his fellows great effort, they created earthship which has the following features:
Cooperate with sunshine
In the document film Garbage Warrior, Michael Reynolds point to an earthship building which build in a earlier time, said to the reporter :” in the last 30 years we learned how to use a little part of the nature, but after that building was finished, I just knew that if we let the windows face south, the house can cooperate with sunshine much better.”
As the design of earthship, usually the bed room is facing south with a big glass window green house, which the height depends on the local sunshine in different seasons- in winter, sunshine can go to the house directly, warming up the whole house. Summer, when the weather is too hot, the height of windows is lower then the arc of the sun to avoid the sunshine. Solar panel and/or wind power equipment on the roof can supply power.
Cooperate with rain water
It’s very important to consider the collection and filter rain water and snow water: the water recycle of the house just like the small version of the water recycle of nature: the roof collects water, which is used for the shower, washing food, cooking, drinking, after that, the water can be used to flush the toilet, then the water can be filtered by the sands and rock, and absorbed by plants, and eventually purified. For people the water is wastewater, contrary for plants, the water is full of nutritious water, this is mutual benefit. After more purification steps, the water can be used again.
Food self-reliance
As the green house facing south, you can imitate a tropic rain forest condition so you can create a “food forest”, guarantee supply enough food.
Insulation of the building wall
It was an amazing discovery for Michael Reynolds to find that tires ram packed with earth can store considerable about of energy. We can fill up the tires with matters as the conventional building’s bricks, and its much more sturdy than conventional bricks. With these kind of bricks and some other insulation materials, even in a extreme weather condition: in winter we can still keep the inside room temperature warm, and in summer can keep the house cool. Further more, the rubber tire’s elastic and toughness features can help the house resists earthquakes.
Nature air cycle
According to the principle that hot air rises, so putting an vent tube under the floor can cool down the air. The whole house should be sealed, when its summer, the sunshine can come to the house through glass window green house, hot air goes up, creating convection, and the outside air gets sucked into house through the vent tube which it cools down, thus in the house the air becomes flowing air which keeps the house cool.
Back to the design of the house, this kind of house was design for suitable living in extreme climate conditions, only use sunshine efficiently and recycle rain water, also can grow food. The house has a harmonious relationship with nature. We can say that earthship’s design just like a big tree. As Michael Reynolds said:
“man actually can make the world happy everyday!”
After listen to Michael Reynolds' speech at night , on the way back home, we had a brief conversation with some other friends who work for NGO. Rao Qihong , who works for agriculture, gave a really vivid comment:”this kind of house connect to both sky and earth”. Yao Huifeng who interns for wotufang also gave this comment: this kind of construction, one is for absorption heat, one is for storage heat.” Dafeng, who come from Chengdu Hudefu school, wants to be an farmer in future, said this design is suitable for some extreme climate conditions, the principles are great, but if too there is too much interior design, the cost might be very high, if the climate is not too bad, we can totally design permaculture in large space.”
“Every morning, when you wake up, you feel your fate is back to your own hand.......”
...this sentence really shows Michael Reynolds spirit, he will choose positive action to solve problems.
When people have a clear reflection about the way of the society developing, inside of them might arose a kind of power, due to different people have different background , habit or value conception, can through action to change.
Let changes happen by cooperation and action
After listen to the speech, some friends decided to spear some time to work for the project as a volunteer. Michael Reynolds only stayed in Guangzhou for 3 days after making a simple design for this project. When you saw him, a 68 years old man, ramming earth into the tire with his back bend over, then you can understand how much he loves his work.
His other crew members Demian, Mike and Anne, will stay in Guangzhou for one month to help work for the project. I heard that later there will be another two crew members who specialize in carpentry and plumbing will come to work for this project too. Mike, also call uncle salty, learned the technique from D(Demian), who had more then 20 years experience in building earthship in different countries. Through working with them in this project, you can feel their solid, straightforward temperament, just as our Chinese saying: “just go to work with your who body!”, have no distance between them and earth. Usually, Mike(Salty) just wear the same pair of pants which was dried as yellow by dirt., sometimes, when a level measurement have some cement on ,he will just use his pants to clear the level. This kind of attitude, can naturally convey to other people who works there.
Volunteers came from different background: Li hang , who come from Xingjiang, only 17 years old. Defeng, come from shenzhen, and Wangyu come from Guanzhou, they all have a decent job, but just are not satisfied that kind of life. Huangji, Danqing, who are students, without any construction experience, but with other people's help, also came here work.
This is also the first earthship project in China. Ian and his wife, who organized and promoted this project, also responsible for purchase all the material, and logistics work.
Chenjing(CJ) and I as a reporter join this project, but with the idea of join working and writing to report the whole procedure: organized volunteers write down their own work, opinions, observe of the whole progress of the project. Most of the feeling come from your working for the project and the communication of other people, but how to work in detail, and the reaction of this method will be found during the actual work.
The most funny thing is that” two old construction worker’s join”, they are relatives, have the same surname”Wu”, we call them “laowu” or uncle wu, they come from Hubei province and have many years experience in construction. Even though they have language problems to communicating with the earthship crew, they can cooperate very well. You can usually hear D happily yell “laowu”, and laowu, the both always answer 'hehe” with smile. Language is not an problem for them, many things, you even don’t need to say, just need a gesture, they can understand each other. Both laowu's work very hard. In the earthship website update, you can find many pictures of them, and call them “go-to-guys”, which means the person who can solve problems. Its a pity that there are some volunteers who can only work for a very shot time, even don’t have time to know each other, they have to leave for some reason.
Earthship in Guanzhou
Earthship which were founded and developed in New Mexico, USA. One of the most important creation is the tire wall. Michael Reynolds found out that “the old tires fill up with earth can be bricks for building houses, and this kind of building can keep the house warm and insulated, can get heat and cool naturally”. This kind of tire with earth bricks and the wall made from the bricks are very durable. And also the unique way of bricklaying create a beautiful view of the earth and lively space.........if the design including natural wind vent system, the tire with matters building can keep warm in winter and keep cool in summer by itself.
When Michael Reynolds and his fellow crew members did the design for this project, considering the weather of Guangzhou is 'very hot in summer, whole year has much rain, only short time be cold in winter”, so the chosen the location on a south slope of the mid-hill, half height of the tire wall will be wrapped inside earth, just like our Chinese plateau cave, warm in winter and cool in summer.
The inside of the house uses a natural vent system to regulate the temperature, and keeps the home dry and cool. Considering the absorption of the sunshine in summer, the roof and vent all add a layer of insulation. As Guangzhou’s rainy season has lot of rain, so they added an impermeable layer between the roof and tire wall. The shape of the roof is shell so that can collect rain water, which the water after going through a filter can flow into the cistern.
The glass green house is in the south of the house, which can grow plants, vegetables, flowers beside of the door, there is bathroom and toilet room. The water after being used in the shower becomes gray water, which will filtered by the green house’s plant, then will be used to flush the toilet. Also, there is other piece of land that can grow some fruit tress, not only can have more shade, but also can supply some fruit. Or we can put a table under the tree for people to have a rest or have a party.
This kind of design mind me of our Cantonese conventional house which have thick mud wall and permeable breathable bricks, and Banyan tree has big brunch and roots which can absorb and use the sunshine, rain water, humid air’s water. Now, the project haven’t finished, so you can’t judge the actual usage situation, but if we should let earthship really have roots in Guangzhou, and have to study from nature and tradition.
The most important thing is not technique, but belief, passion, attitude and strength.
With working a couple of days, everyday when I go back home, after dinner just want go to bed to sleep. One night, my parents and i were watching the Garbage warrior again, suddenly I felt the work were doing on this project did not have the feeling of exploration and creativity that they had in the early times in New Mexico. In my village, I saw the main garbage is waste and some old house’s construction material, I didn’t see a mountain of tires............this kind of feeling, got me thinking: what is the meaning of working for this project?
Later, I realized that the important thing is not to develop some technique or construction method according to the local environment, but it’s the people who work for earthship should have the belief, passion, attitude and the strength for the work.
You can understand more about some thing through some details and conversation. The second day of working is laying the tire wall, and filling up the tires with earth. When the work was done in the afternoon everyone put the tools back and then prepared go back home. Everyone was very tired. On the way, there were many pieces of small papers, around 20-30 pieces. When Mike saw these, he picked up the paper as he was walking. I was beside him and saw him do that, so I followed him. He told me that when they were in Haiti building earthships for the people who suffering from earthquake, there were just ruins, so they helped them clean up a lot garbage. “If you have a beautiful house, and there is so much rubbish around your house, what will you do?”- Even by that time, the house is just a course of tire wall but in his mind, its already a beautiful house .
Mike agrees with the Chinese traditional philosophy “
Everything is connected”. For him, the “Everything is connected” is not concept, but action. When we were working on the dome, it needed something to hold up the chicken wire, so he walked up to the bamboo, and cut down a couple bamboo trees. Before he cut the bamboo, he expressed appreciation for the bamboo first.
Yesterday, I saw him cleaning all the tools, bucket, and mixer in the rain, when he noticed that I was paying attention to him, he was joking to me saying, “just like you want to take a shower after you go back home, the tools also would like to be cleaned, this is what your Chinese saying, 'Everything is connected.'”
The method of this project is a result of more then 40 years exploration by work experience. This kind of technique is very important, but what’s more important is that in the society we need someone who willing to spent his/her 40 years and passion to believe and explore. I had a conversion with Mike during the break time, he mentioned a very important point, “I come from USA, and the method of building earthship is developed under our environment, you might not need to build the same earthship as we do, but you as a volunteer can learn why we do it in this way, what will we consider when we design for the project. Every place’s buildings have to be designed according to the local climate, environment and tradition. Such as the laowu's, they have built many houses before, and after this project, maybe they can build their own earthship.”
由davis
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轉 http://earthship.com/blog/994
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