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Southwest Solaradobe School
Early Summer Newsletter 2003

Rammed Earth Plan 1364 will be loaded onto the Adobebuilder website on or about June 15. In our tradition of providing small home plans for small amounts of money, Plan 1364 offers a greenhouse-combo-direct gain passive solar design. The south Greenhouse/sunspace Room measures 12'0" x 27'6", the middle Living/Kitchen Room measures 12'10" x 27'6", and the back Bedroom/Hall/Bath areas measure roughly 13'6" x 27'6". The large measurements above are the east/west interior measurements. All walls are 18" rammed earth, except that a 14" adobe wall separates the Kitchen/Living from the rear portion of the home. Clerestory windows sit atop the 18" interior rammed earth wall between the Greenhouse and Living/Kitchen Rooms. SWSA has worked with owner Frank Proffit to generate this design, and work on it has already begun near Edgewood, NM. Frank's place is already off-grid, so the entire home is both passively and actively solar-powered with both AC and DC circuits. Frank's water well is already on a solar electric pumping system. Stay tuned about June 15 for pictures and a floor plan sketch for 1364.

For AZ/CO/NM Compressed Earth Block enthusiasts- a free demo: Buying a new earth block pressing machine is like buying a new car- the price is about the same and you have a rolling, shiny, impressive piece of equipment to show off. But best of all, you have a practical block maker that will create the material for your home- or many houses. Laura Tweed will conduct a free demo of AECT's Impact 2001 at the Bosque Store, Bosque, New Mexico on June 7, a Saturday. This is a rare chance to see this machine in action, as few are able to make the long drive down to the Advanced Earthen Construction Technology office in San Antonio, Texas to meet with Lawrence Jetter, who produces the Impact 2001. Laura would like to set up your appointment on June 7 via phone (505) 463-4766, or via her email at laurafly4@msn.com You are welcome to bring a few 5 gallon buckets of your soil to see if it is viable for block making- or might need more sharp sand- or clay. To find out more about AECT machines, visit their web site at http://pages.sbcglobal.net/fwehman Laura will provide you with directions to the store (about 35 miles south of Albuquerque) once the appointment is made.

The AECT Impact 2001 with it's accompnaying conveyor and standThe AECT Impact 2001, with it's accompanying conveyor and stand.
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Southwest Solar~Adobe classes began in an uncertain international atmosphere early this spring, and that definitely affected attendance. We had more cancellations in the first few classes than at anytime in SWSA's history. Folks were uncertain about travel and what to do with their home plans. But by late April, things began to even out, and attendance was up for the Tucson, AZ and Bosque,NM classes. By late spring, attendance had exceeded records for equivalent SWSA classes in the two preceding years. SWSA is dedicated to another tropical Earthbuilding class on Roatán Island, Honduras this fall or Students at the Spring's Tucson Class work on an adobe wall at Old Pueblo Adobe Co, Tucson, AZspring '04, but we wish to begin a list of interested parties now. Those of you from the Caribbean Basin and Latin America are encouraged to express your interest in this class which will be taught in English/Spanish over a three day period. Be sure to provide an email address, with your name, location and a few notes about your plans.

Students at this springs Tucson Class work on an adobe wall at Old Pueblo Adobe Co., Tucson, AZ.
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The Earthbuilders' Guild surges ahead in its formation efforts. The fledging, regional entity, known now as "TEG", has begun to solidify, with its corporate formation almost complete. Meetings have been held in Albuquerque, NM, and recently at the solar/adobe home of board member and Architect/Greenbuilder, Joaquin Karcher of Taos. In fact, members were asked to reach for their wallets and begin paying the dues that will finance Industry promotional and code development efforts over the coming months- and years. While due paying members can vote and receive business benefits, other memberships are being defined that encourage students and non-earthbuilding entities to join at nominal amounts.

Eathbuilder's GuildThe photo shows a portion of the formation group at the Albuquerque meeting: L to R, Secretary Susan Jerome of Mule Creek Adobe (Mule Creek, NM), Joe Tibbets, Information Officer, Architect Joaquin Karcher, Board Member, Larry Elkins of Adobe International , Inc. www.adobe-block.com (Milan, NM), Board Member, Vice President Jim Hallock of Earth Block, Inc. (Pagosa Springs, CO), and President Stan Huston of Huston Rammed Earth (Edgewood, NM). While formation proceeds, the group has begun to plan a strategy in respect to the convoluted regional code development situation. The next TEG meeting will be held in El Paso, Texas, June 28. If you are a professional Earthbuilder or make your living largely from Earthbuilding and related trades, your participation is encouraged. Contact Susan Jerome at Mule Creek Adobe (505) 535-2973 for details.

Mule Creek Adobe News: Mule Creek Adobe, Inc. began production early this year, due to favorable weather, and adobes are in stock in different sizes for western NM or eastern AZ projects. Employing up to ten rural teens and using traditional ladder forms, the yard can produce about 1500 fully stabilized adobes a day. MCA recently played host to the Verde Valley School of Phoenix and Meadow Hawk Erdkinder School of Silver City for adobe building instruction, money raising and fun overnights on the ranch. Cliff School of Cliff, New Mexico recently began work on a sculpture garden using Mule Creek Adobe. Area contractors were introduced to the product line at a presentation for the Silver City Home Builders Association in April. Technical assistance through the small business outreach program of Sandia Labs is helping MCA realize its goal of a passive solar adobe asphalt emulsion storage facility to keep emulsion available throughout the winter. A new Case 120 MX tractor is kept busy nearly 12 hours a day, and new steel ladder forms are proving an excellent technological upgrade with virtually no maintenance and easy lift off for the bricks. Mule Creek Adobe invites any and all to stop by and visit them at 547 NM Hwy 78 in Mule Creek, just 5 miles from the AZ border, and 9 miles off US Hwy 180 West, or on the web at: www.mulecreekadobe.com

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