Earthship Biotecture from Taos, New Mexico, has contacted Earthship New Zealand looking for 20 square meters of land here to build a demonstration model earthship on. This is hot on the heels of their recent trip to Australia where they have been drumming up a huge amount of interest with Mike Reynolds speaking tour.
Given the low technology entry point for owning and living in an Earthship, with its appeal to many who may have recently lost their homes and are unable to afford a conventional replacement; the ideal location is Christchurch. Once land has been identified Mike Reynolds and Earthship Biotecture plan to come out and complete a build with possible potential for speaking engagements and media time.
So we are looking for some accessible land where we can build a structure similar to this one built in Haiti.
From a building regs point of view this would be a non-permanent (demonstration) structure, possibly under 10 sqm, for which it may be possible to ask for retrospective building consent. My first thoughts are that maybe Canterbury University School of Civil Engineering or CPIT might be able to use this as a learning tool, although it doesn’t have to be restricted to Christchurch. Please spread the word, use your networks and get in touch with us here at Earthship New Zealand if you have any leads. We are happy to assist with setting up this opportunity which can only be good for the cause of Earthships in Aotearoa.