“The thing about living in paradise is there’s always a catch. In the case of Bermuda, where This Old House has been filming the renovation of a 200-year-old Georgian house, hurricanes hit the small mid-Atlantic island summer and fall, toppling trees, rattling shuttered windows, and peeling off roofs. Oh, and then there’s the absence of any fresh water source on the island. As a result, Bermuda’s roofs have evolved over four centuries to do two things: protect houses against gale-force winds and funnel whatever the heavens rain down into large cisterns that feed household taps. By law, every house must collect 80 percent of the water that falls on its roof.
To build a traditional Bermudian roof, masons mortar rectangular slabs, or “slates,” of local limestone to each other over a hip-roof frame. Then they apply more mortar over the top and edges of the slates, filling the joints and giving the roof its traditional stepped shape. Along the lower edges of the roof, they sculpt a long concrete trough for a gutter, which directs rainwater to a pipe that filters it and funnels it into a cistern buried alongside the house. Then they give the whole roof structure a thin wash of cement. Finally, to keep rainwater as clean as possible on its way to the cistern, they paint the roofs with special nontoxic paint (a modern replacement for traditional lime wash), which must be reapplied every two to three years.
The result is a strong, nearly self-supporting structure that holds its own against the weather while sending clean water into the tank. It’s the best and cheapest way to supply fresh water — up to 30 gallons per person are needed per day — to the 60,000-plus residents of this tiny island nation. It’s also what accounts for Bermuda’s signature white rooftops, perfectly placed amid the palms and set off by the pastel houses for which the island is famous.”
SO, WE ARE IN SOUTHERN BAJA, A REGION THAT GETS PELTED WITH HURRICANES, AND HAPPENS TO BE A DESERT. GOOD FIT NO? WE DON’T HAVE SLABS OF STONE, NOR COULD WE AFFORD THEM, BUT…
WE DO HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF DIRT… SOME LOCALS HERE HAVE HELPED BUILD A STRUCTURE VERY SIMILAR TO THESE IN LOS CERRITOS, AND IT IS FULLY POSSIBLE TO BUILD TIRE WALLS, SANDBAG DOME ROOFS, AND HAVE THEM BE STEPPED LIKE THE BERMUDA ROOF TO INCREASE SURFACE AREA AND MAXIMIZE WATER COLLECTION!
This is exactly how we envisioned it. There’s going to be a Hesed from Africa, India, Bolivia, Palestine, and on and on and on. Thank you Hesed for stepping up, being the first, and making this project your own. It is going to be very very special!
We’ve given this presentation many many times, refining it over the past year and making the message more and more compact, powerful, marketable, but this was the first time we handed it over to our local legend/leader/organizer, so this was a very big moment for 4Walls.
It was amazing to see someone else from another culture deliver our message, because it is a universal message. Not only did the presentation go off flawlessly, but we got a nice surprise… Hesed’s friend LuLu, a local architect from Eco-Smart Baja, had made preliminary drawings of our new project in Pescadero, BCS.
Hesed explaining the Bermuda Roof, the ridges increase surface area to maximize water capture.
This is another example of what kind of ideas and local leaders we hope to bring together from all over the world, because not only did LuLu, from EcoSmart Baja, draw our tire structure, but she incorporated her own ideas of living/green walls. ??As you can see, we’re also exploring the idea of Bermuda Roofs, which definitely fit the objectives of 4Walls Baja… Hurricane safe, and maximizes water collection.
Christian (El Oso) will be here soon, so soon you will be seeing photos of us diving into the tire piles of La Paz, going through the necessary paper work, and making it happen.
Hesed, the legend that brought us here for a project has just landed a speaking gig…
We spent yesterday translating the 4Walls presentation, which has been refined over and over, into spanish. Then we pulled some images of the land off of google earth, and are combining that with the pictures of the land, and of the people, to taylor the presentation to this local project in Pescadero. This is very exciting because the room will be full of locals wanting to make a difference!
steve and hesed getting the presentation ready at La Esquina
Yesterday we met with Noe, who pointed us in the right direction. He told us all of the signatures and paperwork that we need to make happen, and so now we are sharing it with you!
1.) written concession of the land from Sra. Carmen (Presidenta Del Ejido) so that when her term is up we can’t get shut down. This letter is to be signed by a notary.
2.) Obtain permission from PROFEPA (the EPA of Mexico) to clean the land
3.) Obtain permission for construction
- architecural drawings
- structural plans
- elecrtical and sanitation plans
We will systematically be going through these and will keep you posted on the progress!
Pair raising money, awareness for 4 Walls International
Lee Hermiston • Iowa City Press-Citizen • June 20, 2010
With their collegiate careers behind them, recent graduates Sam McLaughlin and Henry Fandel could’ve kicked back this summer.
Instead, they took a decidedly different approach to summer vacation: riding their bicycles across the country. Their trek across America isn’t just a leisurely trip, however. The 22-year-olds are raising money and awareness about an up-and-coming nonprofit organization.
“We thought it would be the best way to see the country … and we wanted to do something good,” said McLaughlin.
Last summer, McLaughlin and Fandel, who recently graduated from Franklin and Marshall College, volunteered with the San Diego-based nonprofit 4 Walls International. According to McLaughlin, the organization’s goal is to provide sustainable homes for impoverished families.
The homes, which 4 Walls pays the families to build, are made almost completely from recycled materials, include a greenhouse, are thermo regulated and collect water through condensation, he said.
“These families struggle to provide food and water,” McLaughlin said. “(The homes) can solve this daily struggle to provide.”
The duo began their trip on the Chattanooga and Ohio bike trail outside of Washington, D.C. and has continued through Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago and Iowa City. They arrived in town Friday and planned to leave Saturday.
“The town is awesome,” McLaughlin said. “We haven’t been in a town that’s so young yet. Everyone has been super lovely.”
McLaughlin said they will continue riding west and head toward Seattle before biking down the coast and ending their 5,000-mile journey in San Diego. Along the way, they’ll depend on the kindness of strangers and fellow cyclists for shelter and donations for the nonprofit.
“These are the people that need it the most,” McLaughlin said. “A little bit of money goes a long way with this nonprofit.”
Alright everybody… Mira! These are pictures of the land that El Ejido Del Pescadero is giving us to build a “Re-Use” center. It’s not a Recycling Center, it is a Re-Use, or Re-Purposing Center. This building will serve as an educational facility where we can hold seminars and teach people the skills they need to replicate homes made from garbage that will care for them. Additionally, it will be the place where waste products such as tires, bottles, cans, etc. can be brought, staged, and subsequently put into other homes through out the community. It is right on the side of the new 4-lane highway being built connecting Cabo to Todos Santos, and it will no-doubt bring lots of attention, muy bueno!
Tomorrow, Monday, Steve is going with Anna Sorrentino of Earthships-Mexico to find out about the necessary permits and construction licenses needed for this structure. As of now the plan is to begin staging in July and to build in August. If you are interested in volunteering for the build, you can let us know here!
Wednesday June 30th
American Airlines
AA 1126
Depart Denver: 7:45am
Arrive Miami: 1:35pm
AA 803
Depart Miami: 2:35pm
Arrive Port Au Prince: 3:50pm
Monday July 5th
AA 816
Depart Port Au Prince: 9:25am
Arrive Miami: 12:30pm
AA 1485
Depart Miami: 5:00pm
Arrive Denver: 7:15pm
Cree is heading to Haiti with Michael Reynolds (Earthship creator), Paul-America (epic film guy who will explode you with his mind), and Chev (carpenter extraordinaire who has just returned from a long stint in central america) from the Earthship crew. This is a recon mission to see what is available there, where homes can be built, and what connections need to be made for it to happen. They will also be doing a quick build making steel cages and filling them with rubble for walls.
We can’t wait to see what we learn from the people of Haiti!
Wow, where do I start? How about with keeping up the blog!?!?!?!
The snowball feels as if it’s about to begin its decent down the mountain…
Christian is on his way to Haiti on the 30th.
Steve is lining up our next project in Pescadero, Baja California Sur.
So, while this blog is short and sweet, we want all of you to know that we have been working hard to take this organization to a whole new level, and create something that the world has never seen before, but needs desperately.
It was terrific to meet you and hear about your housing concept! Thank you for the link and please do keep me in mind when you start building in Central America. I really do think there could be some very useful work that could be done to link your housing design with management of insect-transmitted pathogens.
Best wishes,
Jeb
Jeb P. Owen, Ph.D.
Department of Entomology
Washington State University
Pullman, WA, 99164-6382
We recently traveled to Tijuana, Mexico to share our idea for a source-based solution to the pollution that is destroying the Tijuana River Valley Estuary in San Diego. There, we met with Oscar Romo, watershed coordinator for the estuary, and leader of the Mexican non-profit group Alter Terra. We walked across the border where Oscar picked us up and drove us to Los Laureles Canyon, just one of many urbanized canyons where rain water flows directly across the border and into the estuary below. The situation we encountered there is not new, but it does present a tremendous opportunity.
The people of Los Laureles Canyon moved there when the government told them they would receive tax benefits and aid. This remains to be proven true. As it stands, the people of Los Laureles are having an extremely difficult time paying back the developer, live in sub-par housing, struggle for food and water, and sewage runs through the streets. If we built a house there, it could be the nicest house on the block. After all, if the people could stop paying for water, wouldn’t that mean that they could pay the developer-man his money faster?
Oscar has already built a 3-teared retaining wall made from sidewall-less tires filled with dirt that will harvest water and grow native species of plants. Below, he plans to build a soccer field for the local kids to play. He wants to bring 4Walls to the canyon for us to build a prototype house. He is currently seeking land from the developer, we are currently seeking funding. We hate to say it, but right now it comes down to money. The sooner we get the money together, the sooner we build in Tijuana. Donate Now!
