DUTCH EARTHSHIP NEARING COMPLETION

The first Dutch Earthship is nearing completion. As of next spring, the super-ecological building in the city of Zwolle will be brought into use as a tearoom. Is the Earthship model a realistic option for sustainable housing construction or just an old hippie dream?

The concept of the Earthship - an invention of US architect Michael Reynolds - has been around for decades. The guiding principle is that such a home should consist mostly of waste or recycled materials, and not need any utility whatsoever. The Earthship in Zwolle will be the first in the Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), and something of a showcase. However, on the route to the construction site, all you can see is a huge lump of earth in the distance.

Project manager and host Hans Bijkerk of housing corporation SWZ explains what it's all about. "We are going to take a look at the 'Earthship', a building we will present to the people of Zwolle on the occasion of our centennial, and it is really a building that is fully self-sufficient. It is more than just a lump of earth, it is technically so advanced that it can generate its own heat, capture and filter its own water, and generate its own electricity via solar panels." read more (radionetherlands.nl)


more features

December 15, 2008