Earthship Belgium vzw

August 15, 2009 – Kick-off of an architectural renaissance – The durable embrace between building and logic.

It's prohibited up to now in Belgium, but if you would be able to achieve the necessary permits and you could convince the authorities: where would you start? How do you build an earthship and which are its basic principles? Are they similar to conventional houses?

Kevan Trott who works in construction for over 28 years, built an Earthship in Normandy with the help of Michael Reynolds and is building one at the moment in Glasgow. At the same time, he and his wife Gillian are organising workshops to let the public get acquainted with the revolutionary style of building.

"Even the biggest sceptic can't deny the logic of Earthships." (Kevan Trott)

Energy – efficiency

Do earthships differ a lot from concentional housing?

"In a certain way they do and in another way they don't. When someone who doesn't know earthships goes and live in our Normandy earthship, he or she wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Everything works in the same way. You plug-in your laptop and surf the internet, the toilet flushes in the same way... An earthship isn't a primitive dwelling, it's simply more durable and energy-efficient. In that way they differ a lot compared with houses as we know them."

How do you start building?

"Exactly like with any other house, with the preparations: planning, gathering materials etc. Afterwards you determine which side your face will come, the only side with windows. In the northern hemisphere you build your face aiming it 15° in south-west direction, in the southern hemisphere 15° in north-east direction. Dependent on the degree of latitude you construct your windows in a certain angle and at a certain hight from the ground. In that way you get maximum gain from the sun. When the sun is high up in summer, it shines only a few centimetres directly in your house, thus not heating your home, but providing light. When the sun is low in winter, it can penetrate deep into the earthship, and warms up the earthship."

"In an Earthship temperature remains constant whole year long, without tools, air-conditioning or heating-elements, Believe me: your energy bill will be a lot cheaper."

And then you poor the foundation?

"No, you simply level the ground. In mountainous areas you get rid of uneven areas, in the countryside you dig away the grass. You dig deeper depending on the location, in a way that the soil can bear the enormous weight of the Earthship. In marshy areas you have to dig deeper than in dry areas, where the soil is harder anyway."

The floor is laid without a foundation?

"Yes indeed. Once the walls are up, a layer of soft sand is laid, which you pound thoroughly. Then follows a 10 cm. Thick layer of insulation and above that comes another layer of sand. Then you poor a layer of concrete in which your tiles are placed."