On Sun, Jun 22, 2008 at 4:57 PM, Chita Jing <cargovanfan@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Okay, I'm dense. Exactly why are people building domes and vaults with
> papercrete?
My first answer is because if they built them out of cream cheese they
would go all runny! ;o)
> 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?
Well, for me the Point is to find a material and method that I can use
to build better housing and enclosures for livestock. I'm not trying
to change the world, or even save it. But if I can build from local
material instead of steel and tarps and whatever imported from China,
that's all the better.
I've been considering what's called "food miles" a lot more lately as
I look at where produce in the chain grocery stores comes from.
Certified Organic produce is shipped in from California, while local
organic farms struggle.
But back to your main question. Although I'm rather new to this group,
I've done a bit of research and I have noticed that people building
domes and vaults from papercrete have different reasons and purposes
in doing so.
Most start with a need or desire to build something, usually a home.
In my case, barns. Cost is usually a factor, and some end up spending
more because of failed experiments. Some want to find a way to use
resources that would otherwise end up in landfills, others just happen
to have an abundant supply of used paper. Papercrete both cutting edge
and still familiar.
Why domes and vaults? Again, there are as many reasons as there are
people building them. I think a large part of the reason is not how
cool a concrete igloo looks (OK, papercrete, but you get the idea) but
rather that a dome is an efficient use of materials and space, heated
and cooled at a fraction of the cost of boxes made of sticks. In my
own case, a dome is not the answer as the lot I have to work with is
long and narrow.
Once you enclose a space with walls, you have the problem of covering
it. I have to consider rain, snow, and wind, other my share these or
have a different set of concerns. I know from the hoop house I built,
that a vault shape will shed rain, shed some snow, not buckle under
the weight of the snow that's not shed and withstand 70 mph winds
without even a shudder. However, a hoop house lacks insulation, which
is more a problem in warmer months than cooler ones for me.
Having looked at a variety of traditional forms, and tested some, I
conclude that a hoop house or vault is the right form for my needs.
Having looked at a variety of traditional and non traditional
materials, the jury is still out. Papercrete is a contender.
Disrupting the status quo, saving the earth, shocking the neighbors,
and making a statement are not on my agenda
Keith.
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