Convento São Francisco de Mértola
Earthship concept
In October 2009 the Association Entre Dois Rios - Convento São Francisco de Mértola and an international group of artists, advisers and builders started the build of a small pilot U module Earthship.The first in Portugal and will be open to the public as a visitors centre with educational and artistic purposes.
What are Earthships?
Earthships are fully sustainable structures that re-use materials in their construction. A visionary architect, Mike Reynolds, has worked on designing and building earthships for the past 30 years. There are six aspects of an earthship and these give it such high eco credentials:
• The earthship house is constructed using a large amount of materials considered to be waste i.e. tyres, bottles and cans.
• It is a passive design which means no energy is needed to heat or cool it.
• Energy is generated on site using solar panels and wind turbines so that no mains connections are necessary.
• Rainwater is harvested off the roof and provides all the water needed in the house.
• Sewage is treated on site so that no link to the main sewage system is necessary
• Space is provided in the greenhouse corridor to increase the sufficiency of the occupants by providing a really productive food growing area all year round.
Websites:
Michael Reynolds
The architect and creator of the Earthship Concept.
Earthship Portugal
A social network site with many pictures of the 2009 workshop and discussions on Earthship inspired building.
