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Superadobe, the low-cost construction technique popular in Mexico
Guadalajara, Mexico, February 1 (EFE). Jessica and Salvador decided to migrate to the Mexican countryside and live in a house they had built themselves using the so-called “super adobe”, an eco-friendly technique that they are now teaching anyone who wants to live in a more ecological way. This type of house can withstand storms and even strong earthquakes because of its structure, explains Efe Jessica Romero, who, together with her husband Salvador Montaño, runs the Igloo Kokolo environmental dissemination center in the Ribera de Chapala, in the western state of Jalisco. “In addition to being anti-seismic because they carry all the weight, we use the soil we have within reach, although you can apply a little cement to make it more resistant,” he said. The “super adobe” was created by the American-Iranian architect Nader Khalili and since the 1990s, this technique has spread around the world as an alternative to traditional homes and in places affected by natural disasters. The construction is made of polypropylene bags filled with soil, sand or some other material that can be taken from the same place where it will be placed. The bags are stacked on top of others in a round shape, reinforced with barbed wire to give it stability until they form a dome. You can also place other materials to cover and texture the walls. On the walls you can use bottles or pieces of glass to let light into the room and reuse materials at the same time. Or wood is used to make windows and doors. In cases where the building serves as a kitchen or dining room, the roof may be made of palm or some other natural material found in the site. The technique helps to waterproof the space, save electricity and also have a low environmental impact as there is no need to dig to make the foundation. “What we really like about this technique is that anyone can get involved in making their house, and that’s how our grandparents did. Everyone got down to work and the whole family can participate and help build the house, depending on their needs, capabilities and needs, ”said Romero. LOW COST In addition to promoting permaculture, a system based on the characteristics of the natural ecosystem, structures with “superadobe” allow self-construction, without the need for notions of architecture and the houses are ready in one or two months and at a cost. low price. costs, Salvador Montaño explained. “The cost of these structures depends on many factors and it is difficult to estimate, but it is much cheaper than traditional construction, at between 30% and 50%,” he said. When the couple left town 12 years ago, they decided that Salvador would put what he’d learned in a sustainability degree into practice and got to work. First they created the environmental education center where they lived for a while and then they realized the idea of teaching others to build these types of houses. So far they have helped build houses in the communities near Chapala and even in the indigenous Wixaritari communities of northern Jalisco. SHAKING THE PANDEMY Juan Diego Olera, owner of a goat farm near Chapala, told Efe that with the covid-19 pandemic, they had to do the hikes and tours they organized to showcase the breeding of these animals and their products. suspend. Now they want to provide rooms in open spaces and close to nature so that visitors can return to the farm. Super adobe houses are a great option, he said. “We see that many people in the city are looking for open spaces, isolated, in nature and our farm is ideal for this kind of activity. What we want to accommodate people is something very unique, special, very sustainable and ecological and that is why we study these techniques, ”he said. For Olera, having this type of home is the best option in a context of environmental crisis, as it has little impact and does not “belittle” people’s country or way of life. (c) EFE Agency