ABSTRACT

Superadobe is a patented system at the service of humanity. Superadobe buildings use the
structural principles of single and double curvature compression shells that have made arches,
domes and also rectangular shapes. Individuals are enabled to build their own homes without
the use of heavy equipment, with materials native to the country of use. Flood control,
erosion control, stabilization of waters’ edges, hillside slopes and embankments, landscapes
and infrastructures are applications in which superadobe system has shown great potential.
 CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 History 1
2. NEW APPROACH TO SAND BAGS 1
3. METHODOLOGY 3
3.1 Materials 3
3.2 Process 5
3.3 Finishing 6
4. STEPS OF CONSTRUCTION 7
5. STRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONS 12
6. THERMAL PERFORMANCE 14
7. EMERGENCY SHELTERS 14
8. SERVICEABILITY CONSIDERATIONS 15
9. ADVANTAGES OF SUPERADOBE CONSTRUCTION 15
10. DISADVANTAGES 16
11. UNIVERSAL APPLICATION 17
12. CONCLUSION 17
REFERENCE 18

LIST OF FIGURES
1. Figure 1: UN Refugee camp 3
2. Figure 2 : Barbed weir 3
3. Figure 3 : compass 5
4. Figure 4 : Superadobe model 7
5. Figure 5 : Plastic pipe between tube layers for vents 7
6. Figure 6: Steps of construction 9
7. Figure 7: Double curvature compression shell 13
8. Figure 8 : Inside portion of a dome 13
9. Figure 9: Earthquake resistance 15
10.Figure 10: Fireproof resistance 16
1. INTRODUCTION

Approximately one third of the people of the world live in houses built with earth, and tens of
thousands of towns and villages have been raised practically from the ground they are
standing on. Today, world consciousness about the use of natural resources and the new
perception of building codes as the steward not only of individual’s safety, but of the
planet’s equilibrium, are leading us into the new millennium of sustainable living.

A Superadobe structure is made by filling long or short sandbags with earth from the
building site and stacking or coiling them in to layers with barbed wares in between to serve
as mortar and reinforcement. Bags and wire alone are adequate for short term use, such as in
disaster relief; for a permanent home, cement or lime is added to the earth, the walls are
coated with plaster, and the exterior gets a waterproof coating. Many Superadobe buildings
use the structural principles of single and double curvature compression shells that have made
arches and domes last for centuries, but Superadobe can also form rectangular shapes.

1.1 History

The technique’s current pioneer is Nader Khalili who originally developed the Superadobe
system in 1984 in response to NASA call for housing designs for future human settlements
on the Moons & Mars. His proposal was to use moon dust to fill the plastic Superadobe tubes
and Velcro together the layers. In 1995 fifteen refugee shelters were built in Iran, Nader
Khalili and the Uniteted Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in response to refugees from the Persian Gulf
War. According to Khalili the cluster of 15 domes that was built could have been repeated by
thousands. The government dismantled the camp a few years later. Since then, Super adobe
method has been put to use in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica, Chile, Iran, India,
Siberia, Mali and Thailand ,as well as in the U.S.

2. NEW APPROACH TO SANDBAGS

Common sandbags and connecting barbed wire, as well as mile-long bags, are referred to as
Superadobe construction. For centuries, sandbags have been used as elements in building
temporary dikes and protective walls in combat zones, as well as in numerous lesser
applications. After the structure has served its temporary purpose, the sandbags normally are
removed, emptied and discarded. Superadobe building system builds on three fundamental
aspects of historical sandbag modules, resulting in a permanent system of construction:

The most serious drawback in the past concerning sandbags as a structural element is that a
stack of bags has no tensile capabilities, which has kept structures very low in height. Also,
curved, arched or domed structures were impossible without some friction and tensile
resistance available.

Superadobe uses four-point barbed wire (or a similar element) between sandbag layers,
allowing one to develop the tensile and shear capabilities that have not been previously
achievable. The barbed wire element increases the friction factor between the bags and
creates tensile resistance in a wall or structural element. It is an important aspect of
Superadobe to provide for the transfer of shear stresses from one sandbag to another by using
the barbed wire as an interface between the bags, overcoming problems of low shear
capability in the earthen fill. The increased capacity of the sandbags, achieved by using
barbed wire, creates the capability of designing higher walls and curved surfaces, such as
bearing walls, arches, domes and vaults.

Previously, sandbags were not considered part of a permanent structure due to the use of
loose fill material, usually sand, which can be loaded easily and discarded when the
temporary structure is no longer needed.

Superadobe fabric tube or individual sandbags are packed with different mixes of fluent,
particulate material. These include earthen, cementitious, organic, manufactured and recycled
materials that form into a permanent block.

Historically, the potential deterioration of the bag and the subsequent effect on the structure
has precluded permanent structures. Superadobe construction shields the sandbag walls from
the elements with protective overlay materials. Additionally, the fill material becomes self-
supporting once it has been formed into a block by the tubing. When the fill material is
sufficiently resistant by itself, the shielding of durable exteriors is not necessary.

The Superadobe system, which has developed out of these fundamental changes during
intensive research in the last seven years, is used in conventional structures for foundations
(poured within the tubing form), for load-bearing and partition walls in conjunction with
conventional roofing systems that bear on a bond beam, also generated by the Superadobe
tube itself.
 Figure 2: UN Refugee camp

Figure 2: Barbed weir

3. METHODOLOGY

3.1 Materials

The essential material in building with bags is, of course, the bags themselves. Most
commonly the bags used are made of polypropylene or burlap. Polypropylene sacks come in
a variety of sizes, and are extremely common. It is important that UV resistant bags be used,
as deterioration by sunlight is the biggest danger. Recycled seed or feed sacks of
polypropylene are often available for free from various sources. The sacks come in a variety
of sizes and also come in a tube form, which is much cheaper to buy per square foot. Burlap
sacks have also been used, but are not as durable and can also be more expensive, although
they are a "natural" material. Custom-sewn bags have been created for special shapes, and
"site sewn" custom bags can easily be made using bent nails or wire

The other essential material is that which fills the bag. A number of materials have been used,
including sand, clay and gravel. While an ideal mixture would be a standard adobe mix of
sand and clay, pretty much whatever subsoil is available is what has been used. The fill
material can be used either wet or dry, but moistened material creates a more stable structure.
An efficient system is to create your sack foundation and/or walls using soil from site
excavation.
The most important consideration for bag choice is the material used to fill it. A good rule of
thumb is the weaker the fill material, the stronger the bag material must be. In some cases,
once a strong fill material has set, the bags could be removed from the exposed areas of the
structure without any structural loss of integrity. On the other hand, if a weak material such as
dry sand is used, it is essential that the bags be kept integral, and plastered as soon as
possible.

Additional materials used in construction include barbed wire, used to keep the bags from
slipping, and regular wire, which can be used to weave the bags similar to basket-making
techniques. For extremely strong structures, cement can be used to create soil-cement
mixtures to fill the bags. Old nails are often used to pin bags closed, create new shapes, and
keep barbed wire in place.
Tools adapted to or developed for this technique are easily available or constructed. A
wheelbarrow is used to transport materials and can be used to directly pour soil into larger
bags. Stands to hold bags open for filling have been made with a variety of materials. Tube
sections of cardboard or PVC, which fit into the longer tube-shaped bags, make filling these
bags much easier. Mechanical pumps have been used at Cal Earth with great efficiency to fill
the tubular bags. A tamper is an essential tool used to compact the bags once they are in
place. The best tamper I have used was created from a 5 foot long 1 1/4" piece of metal pipe
welded to a 6x6 1/4" metal plate. Coffee cans filled with soil can be tossed easily and used to
fill bags higher up on the wall.

Simple forms of wood or metal are used with earth bags to create vaults, while domes are
most effectively formed using a simple compass which acts as a placement guide for the
bags. An excellent design for such a compass is to attach one end of a lightweight pipe
(electrical conduit or an extendable pole used in pool cleaning) to a caster from which the
wheel has been removed. This allows for articulation and rotation, and the caster can be
easily attached to a 4x4 piece of wood set in the ground at the center of the dome. On the
other end of the pipe, an excellent guide is a piece of "L" shaped metal attached with a pipe
clamp. In order to create level rows of bags, a small adjustable level is attached near the
guide end of the pipe where a person placing the bags can easily see it. Special compasses to
create catenary shaped domes have also been developed. In addition to these guides used to
create curved forms, I have used portable metal guide frames which are strung with levelling
string to create straight walls.

Fi
gure 3: compass

4.2 Process

The foundation for the structure is formed by digging a 12” (approx. 30 cm) deep circular
trench with an 8’-14’ (approx. 2 to 4m) diameter. Material removed from the foundation area

can be saved to fill the bags, setting aside topsoil and organic materials.

The fill material is then prepared. Again, subsoil is used, with large rocks and sticks being
removed. For small site walls, this soil can be used dry, but for structural purposes, the fill
material should be moistened and left overnight. The material should be made wet enough to
compact well. Experience and practice will soon lead to proper moisture levels. The first
couple of rows are often filled with gravel to preclude wicking of water into the wall.

Two or three layers of the filled polypropylene sand tubes (Superadobe tubing) are set below
the ground level in the foundation trench. A chain is anchored to the ground in the center of
the circle and used like a compass to trace the shape of the base. Another chain is fastened
just outside the dome wall: this is the fixed or height compass and gives you the interior
measurement for every single layer of super adobe bags as they corbel ever higher. The
height compass is exactly the diameter of the dome. The center chain/compass is used to
ensure the accuracy of each new superadobe layer as it is laid and tamped. (The compasses
must be made of non-stretchy material to ensure an accurate geometry.)

On top of each layer of tamped, filled tubes, a tensile loop of barbed wire is placed to help
stabilize the location of each consecutive layer: it plays a crucial role in the tensile strength of
the dome - it is the 'mortar'. Window voids can be placed in several ways: either by rolling
the filled tube back on itself around a circular plug (forming an arched header) or by waiting
for the earth mixture to set and sawing out a Gothic or pointed arch void. A round skylight
can even be the top of the dome.

It is not recommended to exceed the 14’ (4m) diameter design in size, but many larger
structures have been created by grouping several "beehives" together to form a sort of
connected village of domes. Naturally this lends itself to residential applications, some rooms
being for sleeping and some for living. There is a 32' (10m) dome being constructed in the St.
Ignacio area of Belize, which when finished will be the centre dome of an eco-resort
complex.

4.3 Finishing

Once the corbelled dome is complete, it can be covered in several different kinds of exterior
treatments, usually plaster. Khalili developed a system that used 85% earth and 15% cement
plaster and which is then covered by “Reptile”, a veneer of grapefruit sized balls of cement
and earth. Reptile is easy to install and because the balls create easy paths for stress, it doesn't
crack with time. There are many different possibilities. Some Super adobe buildings have
even been covered by living grass, a kind of Green roof but covering the entire structure. Any
exterior treatment and building details would need to be adapted to a region’s specific
climatic needs.
 Figure 4: Superadobe model

Figure 5: Plastic pipe between tube layers for vents

5. STEPS OF CONSTRUCTION
1) Collect the tools

2) Prepare the earth mix which is stabilized with cement or lime, or asphalt emulsion.

3) Add enough water to ball together when squeezed, yet not leave the hand wet. If no
cement or lime is available, use raw earth for a temporary shelter. (Experimental - try snow
in bags and compact.)
4) Place the door away from wind and water.
5) Dig the foundation trench 30 cm (12”) deep.

6) Level and compact. (The foundation will be 2-3 completed bag rows.)
7) Place the bag in the trench, fold the end under to close, and start filling upright like a short
column.
8) Always put in 2-3 cans of earth and shake to the end.

9) Use gravity's help by sloping the bag on your leg and walking backwards as it fills - do
not strain. Let the bag fill as full as possible and check the position with the compass tool.

10) Twist and tuck under the bag ends to close.

11) Compact the filled bag as hard as you can using a tamper, to make a smooth, solid,
uniform block. Only compacted earth becomes strong.

12) Attach continuous barbed wire - 1 wire for domes up to 4m (12 ft), 2 wires for bigger.
Where breaks occur, overlap the wires by 2ft. (65 cm).

13) Continue coiling bags.

14, 15) Use compass to make the dome shape

16) Pre-cut bags for a doorway knock-out Panel. Stabilized earth must be cut after tamping at
every row

17) Punch out pre-cut panels to open after a min. of 5 rows, or when the dome is completed

18) Insert pipes for windows sloped to outside for rain

19) Coil upper rows, but don’t stand on the wet bag

20) Fill and place bag above the row below and work it inwards to meet the compass circle.
Tamp the bag with gentle slope to outside

21) Add an arched entry to the opening to buttress and protect the entrance

22) Plaster the exterior before bags disintegrate and

23) Waterproof with locally suitable materials to resist moisture and erosion

24) Finish with a water-resistant cement/lime plaster such as Reptile layered from bottom to
top, or

25) A smooth cement or lime plasters finish

Fig 6.1: Step 1

Fig 6.2: Step 2 & 3

Fig 6.3: Step 4, 5 & 6

Fig 6.4: Step 7, 8 & 9

Fig 6.5 : Step 10

Fig 6.6: Step 11, 12 & 13

Fig 6.7: Step 14, 15, 16 & 17

 Fig 6.8: Step 18

Fig 6.9: Step 21, 22 & 23

Fig 6.10: Step 24

Figure 6: Steps of construction

6. STRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

Superadobe techniques enable the construction of mono lithic structural systems built entirely
from earth in curved forms. The sandbag, because of its flexibility, allows the construction of
9curved surfaces. When using single- and double-curvature compression shells ie arch, vault,
dome etc the majority of conventional roofing systems can be eliminated. In the case of wood
construction, this can save up to 95 percent of timber, allowing not only for forest products to
be more wisely utilized but also resulting in fire-safe buildings. By working with the
principle of gravity, these features can be built without special formwork. The success of the
tested prototypes for California’s seismic codes and the resulting permits derive from the
following principles:

Single- and double-curvature compression shells transfer their stresses along the surface of
the structure and not from element to element like column- and beam-type buildings. When a
single element in a beam and column construction is overloaded to failure, the loss of that
element will create a cascading effect on adjacent elements, causing failure of all elements in
the vicinity. In many cases, this will cause the entire structure to collapse, as was witnessed in
earthquakes in Northridge, California, and Kobe, Japan. Such a structure is only as strong as
its weakest element. In a dome, and to a lesser degree a vault, excessive loads on their surface
will first cause a puncture failure. This results in the excessive load being shed with only
localized damage; the remaining stresses in the vicinity of the failure are transmitted around
the failed area, and other loads continue to be held by the structure without any problem.

Dead-load and live-load stresses are transferred to the supporting ground, spreading
uniformly along the perimeter of a dome or bearing wall. In a beam and column structure, the
loads are concentrated and transferred to the ground via a footing under each column. This
situation creates the two basic structural problems of differential settlement and frost heaving.
These can cause severe localized stresses within the upper structure, resulting in cracking and
other failures. For this reason, most foundations are extended to below the frost line to
minimize such problems. In a monolithic bearing wall, dome or vault, differential settlement
and frost heaving do not pose severe problems. The base of a dome or bearing wall
distributes the load of the structure over a much larger area, and local soft spots in the
supporting soil will not

create a local problem, as local depressions may be easily spanned. The effect of frost can be
rendered negligible with correct design when a dome is free to float on the ground.

One of the most significant advantages of a domed or vaulted bearing wall structure is its
performance in earthquakes. It is difficult to design conventional structures to withstand
earthquake stresses. Their basic shape creates a severe problem, as the building weight is
either uniformly spread from roof to foundation or, even worse, weights are often larger in
the upper floors. With this propensity for overturning, the deeply planted footings and
foundations rip apart at the very base of the structure during an earthquake, causing failures
rather than preventing them. Modern earthquake design that incorporates foundation isolation
does have shifting capabilities, but it is expensive.

A dome or bearing wall built on a floating foundation, the base isolated by a layer of gravel
or sand, provides the ideal earthquake-resistant structure. The continuous or ring foundation
can slide across the moving ground, while the upper structure, which diminishes
exponentially in mass toward the apex, performs as a unified monolithic piece, eliminating
local failure higher up the building.

Figure 7: Double curvature compression shell Figure 8: Inside portion of a dome

7. THERMAL PERFORMANCE

Every material in a building has an insulation value that can be described as an R-value. Most
builders think of R-value as a description of the ability of a structure or material to resist heat
loss. This is a steady state value that doesn't change regardless of the outside temperature
variations that occur naturally on a daily and annual basis. This R-value can also be expressed
as the coefficient of heat transfer, or conductivity, or U-value, which is inversely
proportional, that is U=1/R. From this simple formula we can see that material with a high R-
value will yield a low U-value. U-value (units of thermal radiation) measures a material's
ability to store and transfer heat, rather than resist its loss. Earthen walls function as an
absorbent mass that is
able to store warmth and re-radiate it back into the living space as the mass cools. This
temperature fluctuation is known as the “thermal flywheel effect.” The effect of the flywheel
is a 12-hour delay in energy transfer from exterior to interior. This means that at the hottest
time of the day the inside of an earth bag structure is at its coolest, while at the coolest time
of the day the interior is at its warmest. Of course this thermal performance is regulated by
many factors including the placement and condition of windows and doors, climatic zone,
wall colour, wall orientation, and particularly wall thickness. This twelve-hour delay is only
possible in walls greater than 12 inches (30 cm) thick.

8. EMERGENCY SHELTERS
According to Khalili's website, in emergency, impermanent shelters can be built using only
dirt with no cement or lime, and for the sake of speed of construction windows can be
punched out later due to the strength of the compressive nature of the dome/beehive.
Ordinary sand bags can also be used to form the dome if no Super adobe tubes can be
procured; this in fact was how the original design was developed. There is a great potential
for long-term emergency shelters with Super adobe because of the simplicity of construction.
Labour can be unskilled and high physical strength or formal training is unnecessary for the
workers, so women and children are able to substantially contribute to the construction
process. Local resources can be used with ease. Super adobe is not an exact art and similar
materials may be substituted if the most ideal ones are not readily available.
In an interview with an AIA (American Institute of Architects) representative, Nader Khalili,
super adobe’s founder and figurehead said this about the emergency shelter aspects of Super
adobe: “A 400-square-foot (37 m2) house, with bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and entry — I
call it the Eco-Dome — can be put up in about four weeks, by one skilled and four unskilled
people. Emergency shelters can go up much more quickly. After the Gulf War, the United
Nations sent an architect here. We trained him, and he went to the Persian Gulf and put them
up with refugees as they arrived at the camps. Every five incoming refugees put up a simple
structure in five days. It's emergency shelter, but if you cover it with waterproofing
and stucco, it will last for 30 or more years.”

9. SERVICEABILITY CONSIDERATIONS

The floor of a Superadobe building is usually finished last so that plumbing and electrical
lines can be run underneath to feed branches that extend upward where needed. Plumbing
pipes are placed on, in, or under the lower Superadobe layers and run vertically through small
channels cut in to the walls. Electrical lines are run through flexible conduit that follows the
contours of the bags.

10. ADVANTAGES OF SUPERADOBE BUILDINGS

10.1 Earthquake safe

Superadobe structure is safe against earthquake

Figure 9: Earthquake resistance

  

10.2 Fire proof

During some of fire storms where hundreds of homes were destroyed due to combustible
materials used in the building envelope.  The only way to resist being burned is to be “non
flammable”, earth is such a material.

Figure 10 : Fireproof resistance

10.3 Wind proof
Wind is a very powerful force that travels in a path it chooses. As wind travels it tends to
build force and get stronger and more powerful and relentless. A superadobe dome and vault
shape for use as homes or shelter has much to offer when it comes to wind forces.

10.4 User friendly

The technology and form is easy to understand and follow. Our brain is not overwhelmed by
the idea of shelter. When people look at the dome and vault structure because of the
“simplicity” can embrace it without getting lost in the concept of how it was built. The
application and erection of new homes will be welcome in any region or country it is placed.
It will provide many people with new jobs and give them the ability to be involved building
something permanent and needed using the “greenest of the green technologies available
today”.

10.5 Easy to learn

Those involved in learning how to build with it, will be very happy knowing that they can
build a home for others made of earth and that the building they are building will be there for
generations to come.

11. DISADVANTAGES

   It does take a lot of people to build a house by hands only.

 It gets difficult after several hours of lifting the heavy bags.
   It isn’t easy to understand at first when you look at the way it is being built.
    It takes strength to lift and carry each bucket.
   It’s hard on your back, feet and hands
 If you are not used to work physically you will be tired sooner.

12. UNIVERSAL APPLICATIONS

Modern computer software now allows for structural design analysis on an individual
basis. The computer will also permit the utilization of the Superadobe systems in space and
planetary construction based on performance programs, such as finite element analysis.
The construction of infrastructures, structures and shielding elements, such as for thermal,
radiation and/or impact shielding on the moon and Mars, would otherwise imply costly
transportation of building materials into outer space. The utilization of in-situ, minimally
processed materials, is crucial to space exploration.

Flood control; erosion control; stabilization of waters' edges, hillside slopes and
embankments; and retaining walls, landscapes, and infrastructures are applications in
which the Sandbag/Superadobe/Superblock system has shown great potential.

Individuals are enabled once again to build their own homes without the use of heavy
equipment, with materials native to the country of use. All the skills required are simple
and can be acquired by anyone who wishes to learn them. The Superadobe system can use
existing contractor’s machinery, such as concrete and gunnite pumps, to mechanize the
packing of the fill material into the bag forms.

13. CONCLUSION

Superadobe is an adobe that is stretched from history in the new century. It is like an
umbilical cord connecting the traditional with the future adobe world. Individuals are
enabled once again to build their own homes without the use of heavy equipment, with
materials native to the country of use. Superadobe has been used internationally by UN for
emergency housing prototypes and is currently in limited use on several continents and
under construction in several places. While many challenges lie ahead, it is still a hopeful
and exciting time to be part of this quest to create a sustainable human culture.

REFERENCE

 Kennedy J, M. Smith, & C. Wanek , “Building with earth bags”, journal of the art of
natural building, 2002, pp. 149-153
 Brooke Barnes, Mihyun Kang, and Huantian Cao,“Design of sustainable relief
housing in Ethiopia: an implementation of cradle to cradle design in earth bag
construction”, Journal of Environmental Sciences, 2006, Vol 5, pp. 137
 Ronald Rael (1971), Earth Architecture, first edition, Princeton Architectural Press
 Paul G. Mc Henry(1989), Adobe and Rammed Earth Buildings: Design and
Construction, The University of Arizona Press n

 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/superadobe
 calearth.org >Building designs
 www.earthbagbuilding.com/articles.htm
 Naturalbuildingblog.com/earthbagsuperadobe-house-construction-vid