ECOSA INSTITUTE Events & Media

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WEEK 3

This week was a lot of heavy work. Placing and forming the terracrete wall and completing the straw bale walls for the visit of Bill and Athena Stein was the main priority for the on site work. In the studio there was a visit by Anthony Floyd the director of the Scottsdale Green building program and Dan Fairbanks an Ecosa Alumnus who has pushed for green design in the City of Prescott. He is now the green building coordinator for the city. A continuation of Tom Hahan’s review of alternative materials concluded this week with a look at non-traditional alternative materials. Building the wall bearing assembly and compressing the bale walls and chinking the straw bales with cobb.

Above left: Sifting earth for terracrete mix. Center: Shoveling terracrete into forms. Right: adding water to the mix.

Stacking the straw bales and reinforcing them with bamboo rods in preparation for installing the wall bearing assembly. Above left: Checking the bales for vertical. Above right: Tying bamboo in place.

Above left mixing cob – a mixture of earth and straw. Above right: Chinking the bales to ensure a smooth surface for plaster.

Above left: Tom Hahn explains tensioning bales. Right: building wall bearing assembly.

Above: Placing wall bearing assembly.

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Article from the Prescott Daily Courier about Fall 2007 students' final project.

To see a video of the Mission Lane Project on the 1 2News, click here. To read accompanying story, click here.

Read Tri-City Business News "Seeds of Change," about Prescott's green business community working for change. "Right Design" features Tony Brown's house and highlights energy efficient house design. (click here for pdf)

Student Design Project for Green Affordable Housing Comes to Life
Students enrolled in the Ecosa Institute’s Total Immersion Semester in Sustainable Design have worked together to create plans for an environmentally, socially and economically responsible 45-unit housing project for Desert Mission Neighborhood Renewal, a non-profit community development organization sponsored by John C. Lincoln hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. This project is currently moving into the construction document phase with a commitment to eco friendly design as a means of providing long-term affordability for home-owners. Click here to read more...