• Jan. 12, 2007 - We went to the Arlington Home and Garden Show...
And boy did we learn a lot! We learned about native Texas plants, about dealing with poison oak (I prefer organic methods, but in this case, selective use of herbicide may be our only real choice), about water catchment systems, solar water heating and permaculture. We also learned about a real neat window that does exceptionally well to block radiant heat. And we learned just how affective a barrier foil is at blocking solar radiant heat gain too. We hadn't thought of it before, but now we plan, after applying a 1/2 inch layer of insulative polyurethane foam on the outside of the earth bag walls and roof, to then wrap the structure with this radiant barrier foil. Then we will wrap everything again with chicken wire to support the external lime earth plaster. The foam and radiant foil barrier will do much to minimize the heat gain of the earth bags. If there is no heat gain from the outside, the 2 feet earthen walls will want to stay naturally around 70 degrees inside. Then our natural, low-energy (using only a solar-powered ventilation fan on the roof to move the hot air out and ground cooled air in, when the wind is not blowing) geothermal cooling system should be more than enough to keep the interior air cool and well ventilated. We plan to build arbors on the south side of the buildings, not shaded by trees, and to plant vines to grow on sides and top of the buildings. With all of this, I feel pretty confident that we can prevent the adobe walls from accumulating the summer heat and affecting the interior temperature.
Regarding vine choices for the adobe buildings in order to keep the surface cool and shaded, the permaculture person recommended grape vines, which is fast growing, casts heavy shade with its broad leaves, and produces beautiful fruit. We hope to plant a raised edible perennial garden around each of the eco-domes. The raised earth next to the buildings (we plan on building an encircling retaining wall of adobe coils 4 ft above ground level all away around except for a path leading to the entrance), will further prevent heat intake and help to keep the building a constant 70 degree temperature year round. And then planting an edible bed of plants that require minimal maintenance and can provide herbs, teas, fruit and greens will be a really nice feature. We will need to develop a permaculture cookbook so that people will know how to recognize and prepare everything. But it would be fun for those who are more adventurous. There will be a permaculture lecture tomorrow at the Home and Garden Show. If the weather isn't too bad (it is suppose to be icy tomorrow and pretty yucky), I really want to go and listen to it. |
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