Not only is this a sustainable, recycled home, but it also embodies Fibonacci’s Golden Ratio!
Image used by permission of Earthship
Made from recycled materials and running on renewable energy, the astonishing buildings known as Earthships offer an extraordinarily green form of domestic living. Perhaps the strangest of them all is the Nautilus Earthship, a design based on the Fibonacci sequence, as seen in the Nautilus sea shell!
Image used by permission of Earthship
In the Fibonacci series, each number is the sum of the two that preceded it. What this means is that when mapped as a grid it forms an endless spiral — a form seen throughout nature, whether in sea shells, sunflower heads or artichoke flowers. Derived from this is the Golden Ratio, employed by artists and architects to achieve aesthetically pleasing compositions, which have included mankind’s greatest works of art.
Image used by permission of Earthship
The Nautilus Earthship, built in 1995 in New Mexico, took its inspiration from this form, embodying the beauty, wonder and interrelation of nature. In fact, the Earthships, built from unwanted materials and running on sustainable power, are constructed so that their inhabitants will have almost no impact on their environment. It is a structure that adapts the needs of its inhabitants to suit those that the planet can amply provide for.
Image used by permission of Earthship
The creators of the Nautilus explain on their website: “We must realize that we, the users of the vessel (the home), are part of the vessel. This is much the same as we, the users of the earth, are part of the earth. The Earthship is a participant in the prevailing systems of planet earth. It causes no conflict, no stress, no depletion, no trauma to the planet earth.
Image used by permission of Earthship
“Just as the human body is a result of the various systems that support it — (circulatory systems, nervous systems, respiratory systems, etc….) so must the Earthship be a product of the systems that support it. In view of this, we have made the Earthship systems both understandable and available to the common everyday human.”
Image used by permission of Earthship
The Earthships are, in fact, surprisingly cheap. Because of the way they run, living costs are extremely inexpensive while the materials with which they are built are secondhand — however, they are built in such a way as to be extremely sturdy and hence require little maintenance.
An annotated diagram of a Global Model Earthship. Image used by permission of Earthship
The basic building blocks of the Earthships are recycled rubber car tires, which are packed with compacted earth and sealed in steel-belted rubber to form thick, solid walls. Also used in the process are bottles and cans, while shredded plastic is used alongside gravel in the sewage systems.
Image used by permission of Earthship
The building catches rain water and allows it to be used up to four times. All the energy needed for the house is captured by solar panels and wind turbines, while all sewage produced can be treated and reused for food production. Through these means the mystery as to how water, electricity and sewage arrive and depart from the home vanishes, reconnecting the inhabitants with the environment — something that the Earthship community calls “direct living,” as people are put back into synchrony with the planet’s rhythm.
Image used by permission of Earthship
Earthships can be placed anywhere in the world, in any climate, and they can be adapted so that they will meet all building codes.
Image used by permission of Earthship
Many of the Earthships are built into the ground, meaning that living in them is comparable to living in a cave. However, whereas a cave is insulated by its mass, the Earthships are also heated by the sun. Unlike most designs, the Nautilus is entirely above ground, as it sits on lava rock. Because of this, it is veneered with straw bales for extra insulation.
Image used by permission of Earthship
In an interview with spiritofmaat.com, Michael Reynolds, the primary architect of the Earthships, described the reactions that the Nautilus receives: “Some people are scared off by the Nautilus. It looks too fairytale and too strange. Some people want just a simple-looking house that makes no statement at all. Some want their house to look like everyone else’s. And for a long time we didn’t care what they looked like — we just wanted them to work.
Image used by permission of Earthship
“But there are quite a few people — more than half — who are moved by the shapes of the Nautilus. It’s a castle. It’s a fairytale. And we have a lot of designs that are like that. It’s not limited, it can go any way you want it to. If you’re trying to cross the ocean in a boat, your main concern is that it will float.”
Perhaps these strange vessels really are the best way to sustainably survive upon the shifting seas of our world.
Fibonacci Sequence House! [Pics] - ladyblu's posterous
August 12th, 2010
[...] Not only is this a sustainable, recycled home, but it also embodies Fibonacci's Golden Ratio!Source:http://1800recycling.com/2010/08/recycled-house-modeled-fibonacci-sequence/ [...]
TheReviewer
August 12th, 2010
Awesome roof support. I’d like to have a place like that just so that I can lie in bed staring on that.
Giovanni
August 12th, 2010
This is amazing. Such inspiration! It should be named the Golden Structure or something like that. Check out my blog where I write about the uses of the golden ratio in art and music.
manny
August 13th, 2010
hi, fascinating post…..great site
good luck
Mr. Downer
August 14th, 2010
“Earthships can be placed anywhere in the world, in any climate, and they can be adapted so that they will meet all building codes”
Anyplace in the world except those that have any level of density, ie the most efficient human settlements bar none: cities.
This model only works in exurban environments, with 1 acre lots, private automobiles and (am guessing here) trust funds to pay for those groceries coming from god knows where.
Its time to stop believing in this hippy crap. You want green? Get yourself a studio apartment in a 6-floor walkup and ditch your car.
Stop destroying what’s left of our open space with single family homes cloaked in “sustainable” gizmos that, in fact, require huge energy inputs per capita to sustain.
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[...] The Recycled House Modeled on the Fibonacci Sequence | 1-800-Recycling [...]
Recycled Magazine Boat Shape
August 21st, 2010
[...] The Recycled House Modeled on the Fibonacci Sequence | 1-800-Recycling I found a place to recycle moving boxes. Recycled plastics can become clothing. Packing materials can be reused or recycled Find recycling locations near you. My office collects cans for recycling. Drop off magazines and newspapers Sunflowers The Recycled House Modeled on the Fibonacci Sequence Image used by permission of Earthship. “But there are quite a few people — more than half — who are moved by the shapes of the Nautilus. It's a castle. It's a fairytale. [...]
La Xunca
September 8th, 2010
Hello, thank you Mr. Simon for such a well written and informative article, I know how dense this subject matter is. Now if you will kindly excuse me I’ve a quick note to Mr. Downer and his tiny skyless world…..
to quote you Mr. Downer;
“Anyplace in the world except those that have any level of density, ie the most efficient human settlements bar none: cities.
This model only works in exurban environments, with 1 acre lots, private automobiles and (am guessing here) trust funds to pay for those groceries coming from god knows where.
Its time to stop believing in this hippy crap. You want green? Get yourself a studio apartment in a 6-floor walkup and ditch your car.
Stop destroying what’s left of our open space with single family homes cloaked in “sustainable” gizmos that, in fact, require huge energy inputs per capita to sustain.”
Mr. Downer, please do yourself the honor of reading more about Earthships before sharing your uninformed conclusions. Although it is true that this EXACT type of living is not possible in densely populated cities, through the use of green urban planning you can come close. A great example is going on in Chicago at Uncommon Ground, the USA’s first 100% organic sustainable farm growing on the roof of a giant old building that houses the restaurant below. Urban Acres out of Chicago is just one of many many many urban green companies that is trying to bring that food you are dubious about right to any space you have available, rooftop, balcony or windowsill. Which brings me back to Earthships, quite obviously you have not been to the website and seen that every Earthship built has an indoor garden system, some even have fresh fish in a pond that can be caught and prepared with food from your garden. As for energy sources, as long as this planet has sun, wind and rain, the Earthship will survive grid free. Lastly in regards to cost, yes, land is not cheap but garbage is and again, if you’d spent the time to watch and learn about the construction of these buildings you would see that the cost of creating such a magnificent home is far far far less than any other house built to last more than 5 years. In conclusion, all you need is a place to start (what about 10 people going in on land? an old building?) and friends to help you create either in a big open space of wilderness where you (thanks to the land) can live on what you grow, harvest and prepare (yes, animals too) or in an overpopulated urban area where perhaps you can purchase a warehouse to renovate into a community all while riding around on your mountain or fixie bike. Either way Mr. Downer, thanks to the hippies who raised this generation of amazing dreamers we have those options available to us when we want to leave your world of tiny boxes behind.
Thank you again to Mr. Simon for this wonderful article and to my husband for his love of the Golden Ratio that brought it to my attention.
~ cheers
perry rowden
September 8th, 2010
i have been reading everything i can get my hands on when it comes to the earthships see my wife and i live in the desert and we are seirously thinking the earthship is the way to go when we want to buy my wife would really like to live in a earthship and its my job to make her dreams come true to the best of my ability cause thats how i roll how do i we get more information on plans or how to build or zoneing or anything like that? please send more information to me via e mail thank you so much and great job on all of the earthships not just one or the other but all of them are wonderful thanks again perry rowden
indica
September 17th, 2010
Thank you La Xunca, great answer! These earthships are truly inspirational. The creator of this idea also did very amazing work helping the victims of the tsunami rebuild homes out of mud and garbage and plastic. His crew worked to pass on the knowledge to locals so they can continue building.. and now in Haiti.
LB
September 23rd, 2010
What I love about Earthships is that they are – rather, very easily can/and most often are – self sustaining, while you grow your own food, have chickens perhaps for eggs, etc. As I look around for land, painfully SO much of it is already parceled off into subdivisions already regulated: ‘…you can place at smallest a double-wide prefab mobile home on a concrete or otherwise permanent foundation” -rule, etc, rule. I understand that individuals like Mr Downer up there name themselves in this manner to go forth and attempt to foul up what good they find: but there has to be unspoiled lands protected by people like the ones who choose to live in an Earthship.
I know many who sustain your level of bitterness as a protective cloak and your comments say more about you than Earthship owners: and when I think of certain things like BP or the Koch Bros, my own bitterness finds me. But with solar panels and a small electric vehicle (or horses like 2 friends of mine), one needs not to trample the wild lands with SUVs, and as for myself: born deformed and recently trampled by an SUV then promptly and handily trampled again by the hundreds of lawyers a rich man has against one poor woman: how would you suggest that I ‘ditch my car and live in a 6 floor walk-up?’ Do you assume I can afford the building with the fancy elevator that works all the time?
I am strongly for small space, which is why when I showed this home to my family- though we are all the dirt poor anti-trust fund people you supposedly cheer on? I showed it to them in the spirit of “…do you know how many beds we could fit around that fireplace?” I came to this page specifically for the Fibonacci connection/being a former Geology geek. Though I am a strong believer that even in Earthship communities, perhaps instead of going to the grandiose (even while understanding that sometimes you simply need to do so to catch the attention of people and draw them into the talk…) there could be a return to the celebration of the simple, basic and still incredibly beautiful Earthship. I know that I can’t speak to what drives anyone to their honest path, only mine.
It’s so much easier to rant and tear down than it is to see what already is and make it better, as use for more. But also, as one has said above: you really should educate yourself -not a slam, I could use more myself in general- before you choose to attack. One hardly needs a Grocery Store -like these foul 60,000 square foot ones I see sprout up across cities- in order to live in these regions: and to protect the acres from becoming more chopped up subdivisions by buying as much land as you can. You shoot yourself in the foot with your own damning of others, it seems.
Despite your statements, the day I figure out how 2 adults living below the poverty line, one who is handicapped – with a special needs kid in tow – can figure out a way to get out of an overly dense, asthma inducing, anger-filled city that near tops the list of annual homicides etc: We are GOING. Especially as they state that the number of people headed to cities globally is exploding: where will that food come from? Partly it is these lands unless they are made into subdivisions, Mr Unhelpful? Or factory farms… sick choice.
But as I look around: the land I can afford to live on is regulated to every stick and pipe, and the acres I desire can only be mine if there be magical money windfall or another magical ability to somehow erect 3 Tiny Houses and have them appear as one… what one can do for 20-35 thousand is not legal, what one does for 180,000+ is far out of reach. Perhaps Mr Downer is 22, but as one ages, I can attest to no longer being able to endure the whims of greedy landlords and their pricey studios, their intrusion with putrid paints and off gassing carpets, twice when I was flooded from above- topped off with bedbugs and losing 90% of my belongings… and so on. Density sans car is one solution when successful, but too many suffer in those situations.
To standers-by, I thank you for enduring my rambling on… deep thanks.
Most seriously.
A Fibonacci Sequence to Live In | Sustainability Film Series
October 15th, 2010
[...] with cheap and recycled materials (and typically also feature recirculated water and solar heat). This story (nice photos) is about an Earthship designed around the Fibonacci [...]
cheryl
October 17th, 2010
these are not for everyone but are interesting ands inspiring. they are reusing items without re processing them. can only be good. i see imspiration from watts towers in la and antonio gaudi in spain. keep it going.
Fibonacci and the Art of Architecture
June 3rd, 2011
[...] many new and artistic houses that are designed to appeal to people on many different levels. On 1800recycling.com, there’s a list of several different housing designs that have been totally recycled while [...]