66
MLBLUE
FALL2016
This ismore than just a cool off-gridhouse;
thereare requirementsand ritesof passage the
buildersmust adhere tobefore thestructure can
be christeneda trueEarthship.
fiveworkshops with visiting NewMexico Earthship builder Ted Elsasser,
consisting of six hours of on-site work and an hour and a half of in-class
work every day for a week.
“We’re trying to provide an opportunity for people to be a part of the
project and learn so that it will inspire them to do the same thing
themselves,” says Code.
But this is more than just a cool off-grid house; there are requirements
and rites of passage the builders must adhere to before the structure
can be christened a true Earthship. An “official” buildmust address six
key design principles or human needs: thermal/solar heating and cooling,
solar or wind electricity, contained sewage treatment, building with natural
and recycledmaterials, water harvesting, and food production.
Code’s build, for example, faces south to harness the sun’s heat through
a 100-foot stretch of glass. It’s also buried and supported by impressive
walls made of 1,200 earth-packed recycled tires, and tin cans. Through
convection, vents out the back wall draw air in through a low point in
the home and suck out air through the front using what’s called the Stack
Effect—the movement of air via buoyancy and the differential between
indoor and outdoor air density.
Grid-tied for the first bit of its life, eventually the building will be hooked
up to solar power. When completed, the Earthship will boast a garage,
studio/gym space, and a 1,000-square-foot greenhouse. It will also collect
and recycle its own water. “Not only do you use the water to wash your
hands and dishes and whatever, but then that greywater goes into the
planter beds and percolates your plants on its own, and then you use that
same water to flush your toilet—so water gets used three times,” Code
explains.
The Collingwood iteration is a global-model Earthship, designed to
function anywhere in NorthAmerica. Code says what people don’t always
understand is that NewMexico winters can be cold due to elevation; as
a result, the original Earthship Biotecture designs are well-suited to the
southern Ontario climate.
“I’ve known for 20 years I’ve wanted to do this,” Code adds. “It was just
a matter of time andmoney, like anything. This was an opportunity to
express what I wanted to do and share it with the community along the
way.”
TOP
Matt Code andhis handiwork.
BOTTOM
In-floor heating tubes.
