Earth Block Inc. - Projects

EARTH BLOCK PROJECTS

(A Timeless Technology)

"Everything old is new again" holds true in many disciplines and most certainly with Earth Block construction. Building with earth is an ancient practice that fell out of popularity when cheap and fast construction materials and methods were discovered. But when you consider that the average "stick" house (wood frame with a thin shell) has an approximate lifespan of 75 years, the impressive age of the oldest continually occupied buildings in North America are the Taos Pueblos… over 900 years!

Sustainable building, construction using available resources that are renewable, never completely fell out of sync with the modern world. Today, roughly 70% of the earth's population live in dwellings that are made of dirt. Here in the U.S. about 350,000 earthen houses and structures exist, many of which have provided continuous shelter over the past 200 years. Returning to a construction tradition that is "earth friendly" and provides for future generations has been re-popularized through modern technology.

One good source for reading and information on earth construction can be found at www.adobebuilder.com.

Compressed Earth Block evolved from traditional sun-dried adobes but took the advantages of adobe to a new level. Earth Block can be produced on-site, even in freezing temperatures. The equipment is designed to operate in ambient temperature ranges from 28 degrees F. to 100 degrees F. So, if the soil is not frozen, Earth Block can be produced even if the ambient air is freezing, allowing for construction in many places year around.

The blocks are structural blocks, not filler blocks, and are used for floors, walls, cisterns and other structural components. Their design flexibility allows for any building style, from traditional to contemporary, multi-angled or rounded walls, freestanding keystone arches… the design of a building is limited only by the imagination.

Earth Block requires no curing time prior to placement. As blocks are produced, they can be palletized on-site or laid directly in place as they roll off the machine. With a footing/foundation in place, walls can literally go up in one day with no delays for cement mortar to dry or settlement time issues.

To view some of our projects, click on the following links:
Junction Creek Project
Habitat for Humanity
San Juan Mt. Home
Bayfield Homes

Earth Block, Inc.

P.O. Box 3605
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
Jim or Nora Hallock
Phone: 970-883-2456
Email: earthblock@juno.com