The story… The bedroom was built from November 2019 next to the yurt. We wanted a room cooled by thick earth walls, to limit the carbon footprint, and to make the project inexpensive.

A simple and ecological earth building

We designed the construction to limit the carbon footprint by using:

• a simple roof
• Soil from our land
• reclaimed windws
• gravel bags foundations to avoid concrete foundations

We had to modify the plans when the COVID-19 pandemic happened. Because of the transportation restrictions, involving skilled workers for building a wood structure and a bamboo frame with climbing plants was complicated. Instead, a steel structure and a metal sheet roof were chosen.

Estimated cost: 40,000 Thai bahts (1,200 USD; 1,100 Euros)

• Materials: 19,000 (steel structure, metal sheet roof, wood poles)
• Foundation: 8,000 (gravel, bags)
• Labour: 13,000

The construction

The 20 sqm bedroom has load-bearing earth walls using three techniques: Adobe (earth bricks dried in the sun), Cob, and Earth Bags. The foundation consists of four layers of bags filled with gravel.

Passive cooling techniques

To prevent or rduce heat, and without using air conditioning, we designed the project with:

• Bamboo planted in the South to provide shade,
• A large overhang roof facing the South
• Thick earth walls helping cool down the building during the daytime. The heat is stored during hot hours, then released during the night, and the openings allow the warm air to escape.
• Several openings (cross-vetilation)

Double-skin roof: An outer roof, made of a bamboo frame and climbing plants, will be installed in 2026 above the metal sheet roof, with a 20 cm gap between the two roofs. The roof system will then be naturally ventilated by natural convection (air flow).