One Community
Earthbag Village Building Plans
This page is purposed to function as the Earthbag Village (Pod 1) project brief and file sharing page. It will evolve to include all AutoCAD, Sketchup, SolidWorks and other file downloads and plans as we build and open source all the details for a 3-dome earthbag cluster as part of our crowdfunding campaign and then the complete Earthbag Village (Pod 1).
PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
It is being developed to include the following sections:
NOTE: THIS PAGE IS NOT CONSIDERED BY US TO BE A COMPLETE AND USABLE TUTORIAL UNTIL
WE FINISH THE CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN AND ADD ALL THE VIDEOS AND EXPERIENCE FROM
THAT BUILD TO THIS PAGE – IN THE MEANTIME, WE WELCOME YOUR INPUT AND FEEDBACK
HERE ARE LINKS TO WHO WE ARE AS AN ORGANIZATION (click icons for complete pages)
VISIT THESE DETAILED PAGES FOR MORE ON THE COMPLETE VILLAGE PLANS (click icons)
CLICK THESE ICONS TO JOIN US THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
EARTHBAG VILLAGE OVERVIEW
The earthbag village consists of seventy-two 150-200 square foot (14-18.6 sq meter) earthbag hotel room styled cabanas plus four communal eco-shower structures, 2 vermiculture waste processing toilet structures, two net-zero water use toilet structures, and the central Tropical Atrium.
| Proposed Total Area | 1 Acre |
| # of Units | 72; 60 Residential Unit/12 Visitor Unit and 1 Common Area (Tropical Atrium) |
| Toilets | 28 (8 vermiculture) |
| Showers | 20 |
| Approximate Area of Each Unit | 200 Sq Feet |
| Proposed Budget | $1,500,000 |
EARTHBAG VILLAGE PURPOSE
The Earthbag Village’s primary focus is to demonstrate maximally affordable sustainable housing that can be duplicated as easily as possible. Building with earthbags is easier to duplicate than most other methods because the bags are easy to purchase and ship, earth is free, and the mixture needed to stabilize the earth (lime or cement) is also affordable and globally available. Additionally, although we are currently working on obtaining permitting for our buildings, we chose the 150-200 square foot (14-18.6 sq meter) size to allow most people in most counties in the US to be able to duplicate our designs without permits.
WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE TO EVOLVING THIS SUSTAINABILITY COMPONENT WITH US
SUGGESTIONS | CONSULTING | MEMBERSHIP | OTHER OPTIONS
EARTHBAG VILLAGE DESIGN DETAILS
One Community is taking an open source project-launch blueprinting approach to everything we do. The following structure is purposed to clearly share our design parameters and goals in a duplicable and easily modifiable format. As we complete all necessary plans, we will open source and free-share here:
- Updated Project Brief Details
- Updated File Downloads and Developments
PROJECT BRIEF
Details coming…
FILE DOWNLOADS
Here are the file downloads we are sharing now. When complete, we will share all files, including SolidWorks files, engineering files, PDF downloads, etc. for the four communal eco-shower structures, 2 vermiculture waste processing toilet structures, two net-zero water use toilet structures, the central Tropical Atrium, furniture designs, and more.
- AutoCAD
- Sketchup
Here is the completed overview of the entire village layout:
Earthbag Village Complete Layout in Sketchup – Click to Enlarge
Here is the first completed furniture design:
Fold-up Murphy Bed for Maximum Space Efficiency – Click to Enlarge
Here are the other two designs, plus the murphy bed design, and an example of the murphy bed in a dome.
Earthbag Village furniture designs – Click to Enlarge
RESOURCES
COMING…
SUMMARY
COMING…
FREQUENTLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS
Q: Why aren’t you posting all files here now?
Ongoing updates here take time and we don’t consider the files usable or particularly useful to others until they are complete, county approved, and evolved through the construction process. With this in mind, we are developing the files weekly (click here to read our weekly updates blog) and constantly making changes and updates as we work towards the goal of construction and the final updates and revisions that will produce. We post new files here when it fits into our regular website development process.
Q: Will the individual units have electricity?
Yes, the individual units will have electricity. See our energy infrastructure details page for more information.
Q: How long will it take to build the entire village?
Please see the Earthbag Village Time Investment Page.
Q: Why are the living units so small?
- To demonstrate maximally affordable housing
- To demonstrate maximally space and resource efficient housing
- To demonstrate a size most people in other US counties will be able to build without permits
- The purpose of these living units is primarily for sleeping and intimacy – socialization areas, entertainment rooms, recreation space, kitchens, etc. are instead incorporated elsewhere (see the City Center, Tropical Atrium, etc.) and the fulfilled living model and other design elements of One Community is focused on providing an unparalleled diversity of options for both active lifestyles and private spaces for retreat and relaxation
Q: How much will it cost to build the entire village?
Please see the materials list and cost analysis page for these details.
Q: How far will individual units be from the Duplicable Center City Hub (dining and recreation hall)?
The earthbag village will be built within a 15-minute relaxed walk of the Duplicable City Center.
Q: What is the bathroom and shower to living-unit ratio, and how far are they from the homes?
For this seventy-two unit village there are 24 bathroom stalls and 20 showers built into the layout. The units the farthest away from the showers are about 120 ft (36.58 m) away. The units the farthest away from the bathrooms are about 150 ft (45.72 m) away.
Q: Why is the village designed to fit on only 1 acre?
With the growing population of the planet, we see maximizing space efficiency as an essential component of sustainability. From a Highest Good society perspective, we also see people choosing to live closely together versus distancing themselves as a growth and communication opportunity. Other reasons for this choice include:
- Makes replication easier
- Reduces environmental impact
- Lowers costs for energy and plumbing infrastructure
- Lowers costs for road infrastructure needed for fire code
- Maximizes space for food forest creation and other purposes
- Places all homes closer to the communal bathrooms and showers
- For properties (like ours) that are zoned agricultural and commercial, property taxes are based on the specific use of the land. The higher the agricultural-use to residential-use ratio, the lower property taxes will be
Q: How will privacy be addressed with the dome clusters being so close together?
Privacy will be addressed primarily through grouping of like-minded people and communication with each other. The domes construction also makes them very good for containing sound and easy to make private by pulling shades. It is also important to note that additional private spaces, socialization spaces, and recreation spaces are all within a short walk.
