SANDBAG CONSTRUCTION

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 initially developed their own generic design for using sand bags in conjunction with timber ladder frames for use in an award winning; Twin Streams Staff housing project. The system has been refined and evolved over the years through further projects and the building of further prototypes

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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, far superior to regular concrete block or brickwork construction.

• Due to its insulative properties, once plastered the walls provide a high level of fire resistance.

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

     - Collecting sand/rubble and salvaging small dimensioned timbers.
     - Use of small dimensional recycled timbers.
     - The pre-manufacture Timber ladder 
     - Bag manufacture.
     - Collection & use of locally sourced sand.

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

• The lightweight compact nature of the bags allows for the ease of transport to remote locations.

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Technical information:

• Aside from the foundations, this system requires no cement or binder as bags are filled with damp sand and compacted between supporting frames.

• Bags are dry-packed between timber ladder frames or outdented or indented concrete or brickwork columns which are positioned at a maximum of 1,5m spacings and reinforced with a timber or concrete ring beam.

• A concrete ring beam can be used for the support of a second story or over wide openings.

• The bags are either plastered with a mesh reinforced cement-based plaster or else a base coat of clay and straw with a final lime plaster topcoat.​

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Company Track record/examples of work:

• Prototype built for training of Ghanaian Life Ministries, Eco Design Offices, August 2025

• 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.