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SANDBAG CONSTRUCTION

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Sandbag Building Technology 

 

Background:

  • Various sandbag building systems have been used over the last 100 years or so, originating in the military. 

  • In 2003 Eco Design Architects developed their own generic design for using sand bags in conjunction with timber ladder frames for use in the Twin Streams Staff housing project. 

 

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Benefits: 

  • Allows for use of freely available local and scrap material. 

  • Is a very solid durable construction 

  • Has excellent thermal and acoustic properties 

  • Involving Community:  Allows for the setting up of a series of Micro-enterprises with use of local material, i.e.  

  • Harvesting timber poles 

  • Treating timber with non-toxic timber preservative 

  • Collecting sand/rubble and salvaging small dimensioned timbers 

  • Timber ladder manufacture 

  • Bag manufacture. 

  • Cost effective as the simplicity of construction means one can used unskilled labour to build the walls. 

 

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Technical information:

  • Aside from the foundations, this system requires no cement or binder and besides sand, the bags can be filled with clay, rubble or gravel. 

  • Bags are dry-packed between timber ladder frames, which are positioned vertically at approx 1,0m centres and reinforced with a timber ring beam plate at 2,4m height. 

  • The clay and lime plastered walls provide superior insulation when compared to regular concrete block construction. 

 

 

Company Track record/examples of work:

  • House Olivier, Kromme Valley Farm Clan William, 2019  

  • Office Renovations – Eco Design Offices 2014 and 2018 

  • House by Marion Whiteman, Bathurst, Eastern Cape 2012. 

  • Jozini Lodge, Swaziland, 2010 

  • Building system design used for 8 chalets for West Coast National Park by Studio 44, 2008

  • Twinstreams Environmental Centre Staff Housing – Mtunzini, KZN, 2004. This project was awarded the Sustainable Building Best Practice Award for Africa at the Africa regional Sustainable Building Conference held at Speer 2004. 

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