Earthship: Evolution Beyond Economics, Vol. 3

by Michael Reynolds

Evolution Beyond Economics, Vol. 3 1/E by Michael Reynolds

Genres: Nonfiction, Environment, Architecture

258 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1993

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I’ll never build another house, I picked this book up out of the free pile at the library because I’ve long been fascinated by alternative building techniques and architecture. The Earthship system uses old tires filled with packed earth for walls, frequently with the building backed into a hill for even more insulation. This volume, though, doesn’t really give the details of doing this. It tells about updates in structural techniques and water systems, as well as building a thermal mass refrigerator, a solar toilet, solar oven, and doing a temporary structure. So, good if you’ve got the first two books. I do love the way the structures look once the tires are hidden, with their thick walls, arched doors and windows, and lots of plants inside. It would be interesting to see if the buildings have stood the test of time.

[Patrick Haga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that the systems keep evolving from book to book. Though I wish there was something written in the last 5 years, as much of the pricing and coding is likely out of date at this point. My wife and I got to stay in the Phoenix Earthship a couple years ago and seeing the systems in operation was extremely motivating. Why the hell haven't we been doing this, or something similar, for decades?

[David Koblos · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the first two volumes, here is even more detail about earthships, even more improvements, and excursions into related topics such as urban applications and the legal structure behind earthship communities. A great addition the the first two books. It makes one curious what kind of other innovations have come up since it was written.

[Malene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much more technical than I thought.