Monday, June 23, 2008

RE: [papercreters] dome construction/ alternative building

I think the biggest difficulty with this discussion is that Chita and the respondents have their own generalized view of what alternative construction is and why it should be.  It assumes that all folks building alternatively have the same motivation.  If we all had the same motivation than we would no doubt be much further along.  The thing is the alternative building arena is full of people with very different motivations.  Some are just looking for cheap buildings, some are just looking for something different.  Some are looking to be as Green as possible.  Then there are all variations of the above.  Add to this mix that we have such varying climate in North America that dictates very different building styles in different regions.

 

I would love to build along the lines of some of the exciting buildings that are going up in the arid SW but it is just not practical here because of the amount of rain, snow and humidity. The one continuum that seems to be consistent is that if it is easy its not cheap and at the other end of the spectrum if the materials are readily available and inexpensive it typically involves a lot of labor.  This is not an equation that will be easily overcome.

 

Nick

 

From: papercreters@yahoogroups.com [mailto:papercreters@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of pepperh@dcworx.com
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2008 12:05 AM
To: papercreters@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [papercreters] dome construction

 

I've got to admit, Chita has a good point here. What it boils down to, though, is people who buck the status quo, who insist on marching to a different drummer, etc, DO risk being perceived as pretentious and being different for the sake of being different. Honestly, folks, in-your-face non-conformity is NOT by definition any better than conformity. Those of you who pounced on her may be front line saints and I applaud your dedication, but you might permit some latitude for folks who can't afford it - one way or another.

 

That said, I must refer to Dwell Magazine which celebrates innovation, good design and good sense (as in green) the world over. They seem to feel that "tepees in Devonshire" is not the only answer.  They do show some homes along that line and one must sympathize with the neighbors who didn't choose to live in your neighborhood.

 

I agree with Chita that better housing for ALL on a healthy planet is the real point. But let's display the same tolerance we expect from others.

 

Pepper

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Chita Jing

Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2008 3:57 PM

Subject: Re: [papercreters] dome construction

 


   Okay, I'm dense. Exactly why are people building domes and vaults with papercrete? Do they like the looks of Middle Eastern housing on an American desert floor? I admired Nader Khalili, thought his version of "mud houses" was the natural heir to Hassan Fathy - fired ceramic housing made Khalili's method da bomb - but most of those houses look alien on American soil, pretentious even. Adobe people are lovely, well meaning and way down the wrong path both aesthetically and culturally outside the locales which bred mud housing.  Just as a teepee would stick out in the middle of Devonshire, it's a bit surprising to see Swiss Alps housing in Southern California, even if Solvang is, like, the funnest collection of vernacular architecture since the hot dog stand that looked like a hot dog.  A Fathy-Khalili house in the Denver burbs is as jarring as those moussed and moccassined Caucasians in yoga classes who reluctantly but unavoidably "speak Sankrit" as they relate how they spent five years learning to tuck their feet behind their ears.

    I've been interested in alternative housing a while.  I've tried to understand and keep in touch with various lists and groups over the last twenty-five years and honest, I just see so little progress. We must be doing something wrong. The few viable alternatives foundered in their most expensive trials - google SIP in Alaska for one sad example.

    I admire papercrete as a material, don't misunderstand me. I'm not against most of the methods that have mailing lists.  But in my opinion, a major reason alternative building methods have gained almost no ground in thirty years is that the people in those groups hardly ever get down to bedrock discussions. Every group seems to fall into a mindset where the question becomes, "Where can we build a waffle-weave-polyester dwelling," instead of, "How do we house people better within our lifetimes?" 

     Can we do more to get to the core of the issues? Have we spoken about what could be called The Point? Is papercrete basically being passed around as a way to make imitation drywall/plaster? Look around you. With gasoline at $5/gallon, what sort of demographic segments will move out to the boonies to buld individual houses that won't qualify for mortgages or insurance? Who will clean those houses that make the front cover of Alternative Architecture Monthly? Where and how will THEY live? If alternative houses are all owner built, how will those owners sustain those homes out in the boonies as they get older? Should we call this field Trust Fund Housing so folks are better prepared for the long term picture that's emerging?

     I'm just asking.



    






On Sun, Jun 22, 2008 at 10:21 AM, Tom Curry <contact@tomcurrystudio.com> wrote:

Hi Kristen,
Nader Khalili's book is a good how-to source.  Papercrete works very well for dome and barrel vault construction.  We have built both here in Alpine and Marfa, TX. and so has Clyde Curry over in nearby Marathon.  We're not that far from southern NM so come check them out sometime.  Also you can see pictures on the papercreter's website.

Tom Curry

 

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