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>"...a single coat of piping hot, boiled linseed oil can be used a sealer/stabilizer over a fat plaseter to inhibit mold and extra resilience"(Kaki Hunter , and Donald Kiffmeye, Earthbag building: the tools, tricks and techniques By Kaki Hunter, Donald Kiffmeyer, (Canada: 2004), 195).
>"...a single coat of piping hot, boiled linseed oil can be used a sealer/stabilizer over a fat plaseter to inhibit mold and extra resilience"(Kaki Hunter , and Donald Kiffmeye, Earthbag building: the tools, tricks and techniques By Kaki Hunter, Donald Kiffmeyer, (Canada: 2004), 195).
> "A mixture of alum and water and a mixture of soap and water are alternately mopped onto the surface of a lime-plastered surface. This method of water resistance has been used effectively in Mexico for decades. Usually applied to parapet tops, horizontal surfaces, and domes, several alternating coats will give ample protection for many years"(Kaki Hunter , and Donald Kiffmeye, Earthbag building: the tools, tricks and techniques By Kaki Hunter, Donald Kiffmeyer, (Canada: 2004), 165).


>'''Fat Plaster''' "Fat plaster is strong, durable and easy to apply...The combination of three distinct sizes of well-graded fiber mixed with a typical plaster soil of (approximately) 25% clay and 75% well-graded sand has produced a srong crack resistant plaster"(Kaki Hunter , and Donald Kiffmeye, Earthbag building: the tools, tricks and techniques By Kaki Hunter, Donald Kiffmeyer, (Canada: 2004), 188).
>'''Fat Plaster''' "Fat plaster is strong, durable and easy to apply...The combination of three distinct sizes of well-graded fiber mixed with a typical plaster soil of (approximately) 25% clay and 75% well-graded sand has produced a srong crack resistant plaster"(Kaki Hunter , and Donald Kiffmeye, Earthbag building: the tools, tricks and techniques By Kaki Hunter, Donald Kiffmeyer, (Canada: 2004), 188).

Revision as of 07:40, 12 February 2012

Welcome to the page for the CCAT Earthbag Terrace, located in front of the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology at Humboldt State University.
This page is currently under construction, come back soon for more updates!
This page is currently under construction, come back soon for more updates!

Template:305inprogress

Background

CCAT is the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology located near the Behavioral and Social Sciences building on the Humboldt State University campus in Arcata, California. Our original project idea was to build a small informational sign wall to welcome students to the northern entrance to CCAT, and alert readers to upcoming events hosted at CCAT. Due to bureaucratic rigamarole, this project has been changed to a natural plastering project on the CCAT grounds. This project's purpose is to provide a sturdy, natural plaster covering to the EarthBag gardening terrace being built in front of CCAT.

This project is to be completed during the Spring 2012 semester of ENGR 305 class by Danielle Burkhart, Morgan Murphy and Cody Hill. Describe the background of the project. Make sure to cover who, what, why, when and where. You will want to write in word (to have a local copy and help with grammar) and then copy it into the edit window on Appropedia.

Problem statement

The objective of this project is to protect the EarthBag terrace at CCAT from the elements and add an aesthetic element by layering natural plaster over the wall to give it an adobe effect. Start your project objective statement in the format, "The objective of this project is to...." Eventually you will list criteria here as well.

Criteria

Criteria Constraints Weight
Structural Stability Must withstand Arcata climate and the elements for a period of no less than 10 years. 10
Effectiveness Must reflect the values and culture of HSU/CCAT. 9
Cost Should cost as little as possible. 8
Embedded Energy Construction should be less embedded energy than traditional wall construction. 7
Materials Quantity Must be as few as possible, with as little waste as possible, without compromising structural integrity. 7
Administrative Review Proposed method must meet requirements for CCAT approval. 9
Aesthetics Must be visually attractive, complementary to surroundings and must demonstrate natural building technique. 10

Literature Review

This is a review of the available literature pertinent to the EarthBag Terrace at CCAT.

EarthBag Basics

The gardening terraces in front of CCAT are being constructed from EarthBags and barbed wire. The EarthBags are polypropylene bags filled with a mix of on-site soil and clay soil from a local landscaping company. Containing about 5%-25% clay,the soil is moistened then transferred to the bag. [1] The bags are sewn shut with bailing wire then laid like bricks in courses, with barbed wire acting as the mortar to grip the bags and hold them in place. The soil is compressed and hardens as it dries. Earthbags are not extensive or costly, they are user-friendly and can be built on a variety of foundations. [1]

Earthbag Advantages[1] Earthbag Disadvantages[1]
Requires no power tools Getting approval may be difficult
Easy to learn, simple It's a new technology so you are a guinea pig
Suitable for many different climates/regions
No precise soil mixture, you have wiggle-room
Earthbags are thick and lend themselves to passive solar design

Erosion

Short paragraph on the concerns.[2]

Plastering

All 3 types of plaster have their disadvantages. Like cement plasters, the natural plasters require 3 coats of plaster to be complete.[1]

>"...a single coat of piping hot, boiled linseed oil can be used a sealer/stabilizer over a fat plaseter to inhibit mold and extra resilience"(Kaki Hunter , and Donald Kiffmeye, Earthbag building: the tools, tricks and techniques By Kaki Hunter, Donald Kiffmeyer, (Canada: 2004), 195).

>Fat Plaster "Fat plaster is strong, durable and easy to apply...The combination of three distinct sizes of well-graded fiber mixed with a typical plaster soil of (approximately) 25% clay and 75% well-graded sand has produced a srong crack resistant plaster"(Kaki Hunter , and Donald Kiffmeye, Earthbag building: the tools, tricks and techniques By Kaki Hunter, Donald Kiffmeyer, (Canada: 2004), 188).


Lime-Based Plaster

The major ecological concern for lime-based plaster is due to the quantity of material extracted from individual sites. Lime is manufactured by heating limestone, chalk or shell deposits to a high temperature. When CO2 is involved, the end-product is quicklime which is combined with water to produce slaked lime which, when made into plaster, absorbs atmospheric CO2 while hardening.[3] Some builders apply two coats of earthen plaster before a final coat of lime plaster. The lime plaster allows the wall to breathe. The lime naturally becomes water resistant over time as it hardens, and is easy to repair. For building use, always use builder's lime mixed with water to skim milk consistency. Lime is caustic, so protection is important when working with lime.[1]

>"...it can take many decades for the lime binder in lime plaster to convert substantially into calcium carbonate. However, if the plaster has been adequately protected during the period of substantial carbonising, for example by application of limewash(lime mixed with materials such as tallow and linseed oil)every couple of years, the resultant calcium carbonate has very low solubility in water and therefore little tendency to weather". (Practical straw bale building. Collingwood VIC, Australia: Landlinks Press, 2005)

>"Lime plaster...is typically applied on exterior walls where it provides excellent protection against the elements".(Cedar Rose Guelberth, and Daniel D. Chiras, The natural plaster book: earth, lime and gypsum plasters for natural homes, (Trancontinental printing: canada, 2003), 12. )

Gypsum-Based Plaster

Make sure to include description, advantages and disadvantages, and/or have a comparison matrix. Made from Calcium Sulfate, which is now produced as a by-product of scrubbing Sulfur Dioxide out of power station emissions.[3]

Cement-Based Plaster

The environmental concerns surrounding this type are due to the process by which cement produced, which emits intensive amounts of CO2 as well as metals and sulfur oxides into the atmosphere.[3]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 The Natural House
  2. Another example of footnotes.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Eco-Renovation
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