INTRODUCTION Since the start of the industrial age, people have made revolutionary changes in

We should all be doing our part. This world we live in is in a downward spiral and a change has got to be made. Michael Reynolds is an architect who is trying to make a difference in the world we live in today. He sees the problems we face and has continually managed to create alternative styles of living to better the situations at hand. What is an Earthship you might ask? Well if asked by the creator himself he would define it as, “Independent vessels to sail on the seas of tomorrow.” (Rose, 2004) That may seem quite crazy to most but Reynolds is thinking out of the box and ahead of this time. An Earthship is a self sufficient home in that it requires the use of no utilities. Heated by the sun and using solar and wind power this snug

c. The last foundation is typically found in the south called a concrete slab foundation. This foundation is poured directly on the ground due to hardly any movement from frost and saves on cost. Note that you are not restricted to have a specific foundation due to the region you live in. For example you can find basement foundations in the south (Anonymous, 2014).

Earthships are also an environmentally friendly model because of the fact that they can be made from recycled materials such as tires, cans, beams made from recycled trash, etc. Walls made of stacked tires filled with cans serve to store and release heat when needed. This fact also makes it a viable option for a low budget home. Since most, or all, of an earthship can be built with what is essentially trash, most of your building materials can be found cheap or free, provided you have access to a road system.

• Environmental design (C1, Section 3) examines the built environment working in conjunction with natural world. For example, the kitchen and main living space is primarily south facing with a glass wall to take maximum advantage of the available natural light. In addition, the protruding canopy above acts to mitigate excessive levels of solar gain.

Lightweight construction has been used in building construction for more than thirty-five years. Fire fighters have been dealing with the dangers of this type of construction since it was developed. Lightweight construction is generally considered to be either wood frame or steel building materials, where the roof and/or floor supporting systems are constructed of lightweight prefabricated materials. The main problem with lightweight construction is the decreased load carrying capability and stability of the manufactured members under fire conditions.

The Aztecs’ dwellings tended to be built on a similar pattern in the empire (though smaller for the poorer classes and larger for the nobles), there were several variations on the theme. Some houses would have flat-pole roofs, others peaked roofs. Though it was common for houses to be built right on the ground, some were built on platform.

Sod houses also had their flaws. They were impossible to keep clean. Some settlers hung cheesecloths from the rafters to catch the silt that fell down from the ceiling. During rainstorms, the roof leaked and sometimes collapsed. Even though the settlers sealed the walls, unwelcomed visitors such as mice, snakes and insects always found their way inside. Some homesteaders grew to love their “soddies,” but most were thankful when they could finally afford to buy lumber to build a frame house (Porterfield 39).

Green buildings could become one of the main factors to preserve our rapidly decaying environment. There is no easy way to define a green building, but a green building is essentially a structure that amplifies the positives and mitigates the negatives throughout the entire life cycle of the building (Kriss, 2014). There are many definitions for a green building, but all of them include the planning, designing, constructing, and operating of the building while taking into huge considerations of the energy use, water use, indoor air environment, materials used and the effect it has on the site the green building is being built on. The first green buildings dates back to as far as the 1970’s, when solar panels went from experiments to reality. Green buildings were not as popular as they are today due to their extremely high pricing. With technology rapidly growing, solar panels are becoming cheaper and cheaper, making the transition to creating green buildings more affordable. This is the primary reason for the increased growth of green buildings today. A modern company that is paving the way to the growth of green buildings named LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, focuses primarily on new and effective ideas for environmentally friendly buildings projects. With more than 60,000 commercial projects worldwide and 1.7 million square feet being certified every day, LEED is one of the leading groups for promoting green buildings. LEED has popularized the entire

The inefficient homes in the UK have catastrophic effects on global warming. The UK needs to become more energy efficient as at the moment it emits a large amount of greenhouse gases which risk dangerous climate change. The retrofitting of the brick three storey terraced town house is necessary in order to comply with the legislations set out by parliament in the UK Climate Change Act (2008) or if the house falls under the private rented sector it must comply with the Energy Act 2011.

The physical environment affected the homes. Because of the hot sun, bricks baked hard outside and did not need to be oven dried. Windows were built high up to let heat escape during the day. Cool air going through the windows at night also helped the homes cool. There were no trees to make wooden beams, which were needed to hold up the houses. The beams had to be imported from other places. Most of the houses were made of mud bricks because there was lots of mud along the Nile River. There was a shortage of land for houses because no one wanted to live in the hot desert or on the fertile ground which was needed to grow food. Because of the shortage of land to build on, the townhouses were usually two or three stories

Aksumite buildings such as palaces were constructed atop podia built of loose stones held together with mud-mortar, with carefully cut granite corner blocks which rebated back a few centimeters at regular intervals as the wall got higher, so the walls narrowed as they rose higher. Most structures, however, like palaces, villas, commoner's houses, and other churches and monasteries, were built of alternating layers of clay and wood. Since the majority Ethiopia is alternating between jungle and rainforest and has a ton of trees, most of the houses and dwellings are built out of wood. The roofs of the houses were thatched as well as possible with sticks they gathered from trees they cut down to build the house, to stop nas many leaks as they could

The Industrial Revolution was a time of drastic change that transformed hand tools and hand made items to machine manufactured and produced goods. Inventions brought on the most drastic changes during the Industrial Revolution. Machines made life much easier while decreasing prices of goods and generally improving life. (mhirotsu.htm). Before the 1750's, life was primitive but simple, which is vastly different from the complex culture that arose from the Industrial Revolution.

For quite some time, life on earth has been nothing but peaches and cream for several people and because of people who live a non-sustainable life, it has left others with an indistinct outlook on earth’s future. Sustainability to me is doing things that will help prevent harmful things from happening to the environment now and in the future. With the support of the sustainability and more quality ways of living, the Earth Charter is gradually introduced. Through key research I will explain what the Earth Charter is and why it was founded, describe one of its four parts along with the goals and overarching philosophy, and share the impact it has on my life now and in the future.

Earthship design is a movement initiated by Michael Reynolds. Earthship Biotecture is a method of architecture and design that incorporates recycled materials, earthen materials, and renewable energy sources into a sustainable and self-sufficient home. The purpose of this according to Michael Reynolds it to achieve energy independence, sustainable housing, and relieve the burdens of stress on the environment from conventional building methods while keeping cost minimal. Utilizing waste and earthen materials, Michael was able to construct comfortable living, beautiful architectural design, and self-sufficiency

Home is the place one spends more time in their life and share special moments with family. Where one expects to live permanently carefree and feel protected under the roof of their house. One day I want to have a home that makes me feel well and where I can be safe and happy. The purpose of this essay is to illustrate the decisions I made about designing my future dream house.