Pros and cons of Superadobe Earthbag homes

Who would have thought that sandbags could be inspirational? They were originally used for flood control and military bunkers but they have now been adapted for home construction. The bags are made of natural materials like hemp or burlap or more durable synthetic materials like polypropylene which is water, rot and insect resistant. These bags are filled with 70% sand and 30% clay and are laid in courses to build the walls, similar to bricklaying. The most common structures look like big beehives or igloos as the curved walls provide good lateral stability. The system has no tensile strength, so the structures must be built into compression forms like domes and arches. However, they could take on other forms like straight walls if they are topped with conventional roofs. The earliest version of earthbag homes can be traced to Gernot Minke, a German professor. However, it gained momentum thanks to Nader Khalili, an Iranian architect. He established the California Institute of Earth Art and Architectur