Rammed Earth Solar Homes

Holistic Living ...sustainable building from the ground up "A WHOLISTIC BUILDER, that is what Quentin is!" said a recent attendee of one of the periodic Rammit Yourself workshops. And he is right. Thirty years ago as he was developing his technique for building with earth, Quentin earned his living as an organic farmer and a physics teacher. These three areas of expertise dovetail perfectly to make him the best source of advice for constructing, literally, from the ground up. If you click here you will see a series of pictures and information on the step by step process that Quentin is using as he builds his retirement home in Oracle Arizona. Starting with a half acre lot, he has already graded the land and built catchments for water collection. Water which is already in use through the use of a solar pumping system, to irrigate the newly planted orchard and vegetable garden. About Quentin Thirty years ago, with my 9-year-old son working by my side, I built my first direct gain, passive solar, rammed earth home. This is the primary and purist way to use rammed earth - simple, sturdy, environmentally sound and affordable. It remains my favorite, and out of this comes my desire to teach rammed earth construction to romantic do-it-yourselfers, and to build simple homes for those with affordability in mind. Over the years, I have also come to admire the use of rammed earth as an emerging art medium, filled with sculptural potential. The expanding expertise and professionalism of my crew members has allowed us to produce a wide variety of sculptural architecture, such as the massive Univision TV network complex in Phoenix, custom homes throughout the Southwest, zoo walls, churches and public art projects. These are often daring statements that introduce unique engineering challenges. With each job, I realize that the design and building capacity of rammed earth is apparently unlimited. It is always a pleasure to review architectural drawings to consult and ensure that they translate into beautiful, strong, rammed earth structures.