Discover this material made of dirt that is earthquake resistant

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In Morelos, Mexico, houses are being built with this eco-friendly and earthquake-resistant material. Here we tell you what it is about

Superadobe. That's the name of the eco-friendly and earthquake-resistant material that is being used to rebuild some houses after the 7.1 earthquake that Mexico experienced on September 19, 2017. In Heyapan, Morelos, tells the BBC, Pablo Cuauhtémoc Saavedra Castellanas is rebuilding his home with this mixture of natural elements. The superadobe is placed in compact polypropylene bags that are stacked one on top of the other.

Leer en español: Descubre el material hecho de tierra que es sismorresistente

The superadobe, made with ground, hay, corn, horse manure and reinforced with lime, was born when the American-Iranian architect Nader Khalili presented at NASA the idea of building houses on the red planet from the ground. The idea of the symposium, where Khalili presented his idea, was aimed at finding alternatives to build houses with materials available on Mars.

From that moment, the idea was consolidated and since 1991 the CalEarth Foundation of the architect is dedicated to teaching people to make sustainable and safe constructions with materials available to everyone, like the earth.

In the case of Hueyapan, Siembra Arquitectura is the organization in charge of teaching the locals about the superadobe. However, due to the time it takes to compact the material, not all those affected decided to use the superadobe. Many preferred to build with cement and bricks because of the ease and speed it supposes.

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"It is estimated that the houses of superadobe can last for centuries, and their production is low cost", says the BBC, which represents several advantages when building with this material. On one hand, being made with renewable elements, it is a material that does not pollute. On the other hand, due to its resistance, this material is almost indestructible. In fact, after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, the superadobe buildings were still standing.

Additionally, this material has another thermal advantage. Absorbs the diurnal heat and releases it during the night. This allows the house or building to be fresh during the day and at night, when temperatures drop, the spaces are warm. The process is also done in reverse, that is, in the night it absorbs the cold and releases it during the day.

LatinAmerican Post | Marcela Peñaloza

Translated from "Descubre el material hecho de tierra que es sismorresistente"