Comments on: Chile Update – Permaculture: Designing a Healthy Building with Principles in Mind

By: Grifen

Grifen — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:39:03 +0000

Hi Don, thanks for the feedback! Our experience shows that post and beam, with bracing, stands up very well in big quakes. A lot of vernacular architecture here of post and beam has weathered 2 or more big quakes, we think it works. We would love to do a few domes, but here in el manzano we dont have any earth…just volcanic sand. We also have to remember that everything is relative and we need to apply contextual solutions…here at least people are not quite ready for domes. Love from Chile, Grifen

By: Don Hansford

Don Hansford — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:46:23 +0000

I applaud the work you are doing, but I can’t help but wonder at the continued use of post and beam type house construction in earthquake zones.
Cal-earth has a number of superadobe unstabilised earth domes that have stood in California since the mid-90s, through many earthquakes (they are very close to the San Andreas fault). They have also exceeded the requirements of the Building Code, and, in fact, the testing equipment failed before the buildings showed any deflection at all.
Further info is available through the website http://www.calearth.org