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Is this really easier to manage for building things than other techniques? It seems pretty labor intensive. Though I guess everything is labor intensive. And t

by rtpg 11y ago

Is this really easier to manage for building things than other techniques? It seems pretty labor intensive. Though I guess everything is labor intensive. And the end result looks solid for what it is.

leni536 11y ago
I think it's more interesting to build temporary dams using this. It could be more robust than using ordinary sand bags. Their licencing could be interesting in this regard too: "Superadobe is a patented system (U.S. patent #5,934,027) freely put at the service of humanity and the environment. Licensing is required for commercial use."
- brohee 11y ago
  What's commercial use? Can you sell your home when you move?
  - danieltillett 11y ago
    Like everything to do with patents, fly low and nobody will bother you. The chances of being sued if you build a single house and sell it are somewhere between zero and 1 / infinity.
  - vinceguidry 11y ago
    The only entity that can sue you for infringement is the patent holder. So you could send them an email and ask them whether they would sue if you sold your home. "Commercial use" in the US typically means designing and operating a business around the idea. It would be up to a judge to decide. Here is a law cite: http://definitions.uslegal.com/u/used-for-commercial-purposes/ http://definitions.uslegal.com/u/used-for-commercial-purpose... The relevant language here would appear to be, "intended for profit." If you found yourself in a lawsuit, that's likely what judgment would hinge on.
JulianMorrison 11y ago
I've heard it mentioned as specifically a tool for refugee camp type situations, when you have a lot of warlike supplies (bags and barbed wire) to hand, and a lot of people to house in a hurry.
netcan 11y ago
I heard about this first a few years ago in the context of refugee camps. I think the idea didn't take off (not many countries wants refugees building weird buildings in camps), but the selling points is that all you need to bring in as materials are the bags, barbed wire and cement. The bulkiest material is earth, which can be dug on site. Cement is optional, but improves structure's longevity. No bricks, sand/aggregate. Nothing to manufacture (other than bags). Most building methods require a building material industry behind them. Here a truck with a few thousand dollars worth of materials and basic tools is all you need. Labour is the main ingredient and non specialized labour is often available. ^1,000 yards for $1,000. You can get a large house-worth of bags for that. Have 10 kids? Make each kid lay 100 yards! ^I don't think you can separate how it looks/feels from the rest of the project. I think the reason superadobe keeps coming up in the internet "check this out" world is because of this. It's looks and feels like an accessible DIY project you could be very proud of.

by rtpg 11y ago

leni536 11y ago

I think it's more interesting to build temporary dams using this. It could be more robust than using ordinary sand bags. Their licencing could be interesting in this regard too: "Superadobe is a patented system (U.S. patent #5,934,027) freely put at the service of humanity and the environment. Licensing is required for commercial use."

brohee 11y ago
What's commercial use? Can you sell your home when you move?
- danieltillett 11y ago
  Like everything to do with patents, fly low and nobody will bother you. The chances of being sued if you build a single house and sell it are somewhere between zero and 1 / infinity.
- vinceguidry 11y ago
  The only entity that can sue you for infringement is the patent holder. So you could send them an email and ask them whether they would sue if you sold your home. "Commercial use" in the US typically means designing and operating a business around the idea. It would be up to a judge to decide. Here is a law cite: http://definitions.uslegal.com/u/used-for-commercial-purposes/ http://definitions.uslegal.com/u/used-for-commercial-purpose... The relevant language here would appear to be, "intended for profit." If you found yourself in a lawsuit, that's likely what judgment would hinge on.

JulianMorrison 11y ago

I've heard it mentioned as specifically a tool for refugee camp type situations, when you have a lot of warlike supplies (bags and barbed wire) to hand, and a lot of people to house in a hurry.

netcan 11y ago

I heard about this first a few years ago in the context of refugee camps. I think the idea didn't take off (not many countries wants refugees building weird buildings in camps), but the selling points is that all you need to bring in as materials are the bags, barbed wire and cement. The bulkiest material is earth, which can be dug on site. Cement is optional, but improves structure's longevity. No bricks, sand/aggregate. Nothing to manufacture (other than bags). Most building methods require a building material industry behind them. Here a truck with a few thousand dollars worth of materials and basic tools is all you need. Labour is the main ingredient and non specialized labour is often available. ^1,000 yards for $1,000. You can get a large house-worth of bags for that. Have 10 kids? Make each kid lay 100 yards! ^I don't think you can separate how it looks/feels from the rest of the project. I think the reason superadobe keeps coming up in the internet "check this out" world is because of this. It's looks and feels like an accessible DIY project you could be very proud of.