For three weeks I participated in an Earthship Biotecture internship in Taos, New Mexico. Here are notes and pictures from that time. Taos, New Mexico is in the high desert and has a suitable climate and abundant materials for adobe construction. The dry climate with extreme temperature fluctuations is suitable for adobe because of its thermal mass properties. Below are notes on different steps of the construction process.
An interesting outcome of earthship development is the passing of the Sustainable Development Testing Site Act in 2006. Michael Reynolds, the founding architect of Earthship Biotecture, was frustrated with the push back from regulatory bodies that hindered progress and research. The act allows earthships within Reynold’s two acre subdivision on the outskirts of Taos to be a testing site for “environmentally appropriate” forms of human habitation. Earthships under this act can “be tested to the point of failure under conditions involving actual year-round inhabitants on the site” in the name of sustainable development. Images of finished earthships featuring passive cooling techniques:
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