Ecovillage project for desert climate
Smart Homes made from classic adobe, Smart irrigation system, complete energy independence, zero carbon footprint
Smart homes made of classic adobe are the perfect solution for developing ecotourism, reclaiming depleted and abandoned lands in a steppe and desert climate.
The project was developed by Symbiosei at the request of the government of Southern Sinai.
Looking for suitable plots for construction or reconstruction!
As it turns out, smart home technology pairs perfectly with the most environmentally friendly construction technology today - cob. Modern technologies, such as solar panels, air-to-air heat pumps, automatic windows and blinds, as well as the high thermal inertia of cob structures, allow for maintaining a comfortable indoor climate with zero CO2 emissions.
The main material of the eco-village Symbiosei is classic cob, a mixture of clay, sand, and straw or other local organic filler. Plus, modern composite materials where appropriate (for example, sandwich roofs). The village is completely self-sufficient in terms of hot water, electricity, and waste disposal.
The unique homes provide coolness in summer and warmth in winter with minimal energy costs. The comfort and quality of life in a cob eco-home is no less than in a city apartment.
The technology of managed ecosystem ensures minimal effort in garden care. Most tasks, especially plant watering, are automated.
Modern adobe ecohouse
What is adobe and why is it a perfect material for a modern ecovillage?
Adobe consists only of natural ingredients: a mixture of clay, sand and plant filler in an optimal proportion for a current climate and location.
Adobe is humankind's oldest building material, with a thousand-year history and a zero carbon impact.
Adobe provides an almost ideal microclimate in the house because of its unique combination of high heat capacity and optimal thermal conductivity. Massive adobe constructions always have the same temperature, without hot walls or cold corners. This is the main advantage of adobe houses over stone ones.
Adobe is a cheap and democratic material. Building blocks can be made independently from scrap materials directly on the construction site.
An adobe house is more environmentally friendly than the most part of modern wooden houses. Almost all wooden houses built over the last 50 years are impregnated with numerous chemical compounds to protect against rot and fire. Glulam, the main material of a modern wooden houses, contains several kilograms of synthetic glue per cubic meter. Nothing of this is in a house made of adobe.
Information on the topic
Adobe architecture, basic elements
Hi-Tech ecovillage made of adobe from Symbiose Intelligente, what it may look like
Why aren't all modern houses built from adobe?
The widespread increase in population has led to the fact that adobe, along with other environmentally friendly products, has become an item of elite consumption.
Due to its relatively low strength, adobe is not very well suited for the mass construction of multi-store social housing (however, in Yemen, a block of adobe skyscrapers was built more than 200 years ago — this is a unique object, and we will talk about it below).
Adobe exhibits its best qualities in one-level buildings, when the stability of the microclimate in the house is ensured by a large area of contact between the walls and the ground surface. Massive walls, the basis of the unique ecology of the adobe dwelling, occupy up to 50 percent of the house’s area. This makes it difficult to use adobe in mass development projects.
Материал по теме
Adobe, the history of the topic
Adobe is one of humanity’s oldest technologies. For thousands of years, adobe houses were built in all climatic zones of the Earth. The composition of the material, construction practice and microclimate of the home have been brought to almost ideal. If properly cared for, an adobe home will last for thousands of years.
