The Earth ships that are currently built around the world are connected to the Earth. Everything above the first layer in this diagram is not. In the same way that bridges freeze in colder climates before any of the rest of the roads, when you have open air underneath concrete, as in this diagram, the thermal dynamics completely change. When the underside of the building, and the underside of the earth surrounding that building are connected to concrete, which is exposed on the underside, these buildings will not perform the same as conventional earth ships will. I do think it has potential if redesigned with more thermal mass under each home, but not as is.

I've posted my general guidelines on farming down below. The earthship would be a finite, isolated, and insulated area with no adjoining swathes to pollute it with pests and weeds and it would also be an area with a controlled climate and a sprinkler or drip irrigation and a blend of artificial and natural lighting and heating and cooling, so even easier than gneralized agriculture. A- Guidelines for farming: 1- Water is good for all plants. Plants use water, sunlight and manure/fertilizer to make food in chlorophyll and grow. i- Water is good, provided it completely dries out on the 3rd day. ii- Water only sets in rot, when the mud doesn't dry up. iv- Since it is costly to continuously irrigate, always flood the channels, so we don't need to irrigate for at least 4 days. v- Always flood the place on the 4th day, again. 2- Fertilizer: a- Nitrogen drives all plants growth--the green vegetation. b- Phosphorous(super phosphate) drives all flowering and root development. c- Potassium regulates plant nutrients, so that the stems and leaves don't break when you apply nitrogen (urea) in excess d- Hard plants are also difficult for pests to chew on and for diseases to obliterate, so potassium also improves resistance to disease and pests. i- Organic manure is preferred, because it supplies all three of the nutrients---nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. ii- Organic fertilizer also improves the soil's ability to hold moisture because of the intrinsic organic matter and lower density. iii- Organic fertilizers(decomposed plant and fecal matter) also contain minerals ike Mg, Zn, K, Ca, S, Cu, etc., which are essential to biochemical reactions. Synthetic fertilizers don't contain these. These minerals also contribute ions for transport and also for recombination with other elements. iv- If you've applied organic fertilizer/manure, then only apply nitrogenous fertilizers. Urea is the cheapest because it delivers the highest quantity of nitrogen. v- Termites eat cellulose(wood), so make sure that decomposing organic matter(compost or manure) is free of all wood. vi- Other pests are bred in moist places during summers and in close places during winters. Deny them this habitat. Organic matter that is decomposed only breeds earthworms which is good, but undecomposed matter breeds termites and pests. Only add manure and compost that has been turned around several times. Never use fresh organic matter. 3- PH of the soil. Some plants grow in acidic environs, whereas others in alkaline. PH at 7 is neutral, PH under 7 is acidic. PH over 7 is alkaline. i- SSP is alkaline. DAP is acidic. ii- All nitrogenous fertilizers are acidic---urea, etc. iii- Also look into humic acid. 4- Soil Texture: i- Sandy soils don't get muddy, so improve drainage. ii- Clay soils hold moisture. iii- Choose a good blend of 3 parts clay and 1 part sand/silt and, preferably, a lot of compost and manure. iv- All root crops like peanuts, curcumin, potatoes grow well in sandy soils. 5- Drainage: Every thing will grow well on higher ground that drains well. Nothing rots on higher ground that drains well. 5- Shade Vs Sunlight: i- If you can provide adequate water, then plant in sunlight. ii- If you can't provide adequate water, then plant in partial shade, so the soil remains somewhat moist through dry spells. Nothing grows in complete shade and growth is slow even in partial shade. ii- Plant tropical crops, like Ginger, Vanilla, Coffee, Teas and Cocoa beneath the shade of trees or orchards. The sun here will burn tropical trees. iii- Except for deciduous plants, that shed leaves during winter, a- all other trees need to be protected from frost in winters, at least, for the first 3 years. Remove the shade, whenever the frost stops. b- All shrubs and smaller plants need to be protected from frost in winter through their entire lives, unless they're deciduous. 6- Whenever a sapling doesn't produce shoots at the top, it means the top has dried out because of inadequate water.. Excess water will make it rot, not dry out. 7- Hoeing: i-All trees need to be hoed for weeds, unless the bases are covered with mulch which can also retain moisture, but can breed termites and other pests. ii- Dark plastic is the best thing to use instead of mulch because it doesn't breed terminates and yet blocks all light. iii- When applying herbicides, realize that these only act against broad- or narrow- leaved weeds. Herbicides will kill/destroy your own crops, too, if they have a similar leaf- structure. 8- Furrows: 1- Always flood the furrows till they're drowned, so the seeds are thoroughly watered. They will not rot because the water will drain itself from the sides of the furrows. ii- Plant seeds in partial shade or under straw because they won't survive the harsh Sun, over here. 9- Pest control: i- Eliminate all cool breeding grounds in winter and all warm breeding grounds in summer, so the heat and cold can kill the pests. ii- Use traps to collect and eliminate in bulk. iii- Most pests climb up at nights(around 7 to 8 PM) and club down during the morning(4AM to 7 AM) in summers. Only kill with hands and fertilizer when you spot them, so you don't waste pesticides. iv- Leverage predators, like birds, to feed on the pests. v- Kill with hands every day or with the bulk application of pesticides. v- Apply slow-acting pesticides(Hexaflumuron and Chlorfluazuron) against pests that congregate in colonies. Apply Fipronil for instant eradicating via irrigation channels. vi- If the pests are moist, you can also destroy/kill them with dessicants(materia that would absorb water). 10- Spacing: i- Space the plants, so they don't shade or touch other plants. You can plant the trees dense for the first few years of fruit , and then thin them, later. We're all old and can't for decades for commercial fruit from a sparse cultivation of small plants. ii- Space the seeds using a seeding machine. If the intent is to transplant them, you can plant them dense. If the intent isn't to transplant, then space them evenly. 11- Plant-types: All plants prepare food in their leaves, so the larger and more numerous the leaves and branches, the more the food they produce, and the faster they grow. ii- Broad-leaved plants are the fastest growing, but will easily freeze with frost in winters and dry out with the heat in summers. They have to be watered excessively during summers and sheltered during winters. ii- Thin-leaved plants are slow-growing, but will survive temperature extremes. iii- Deciduous plants shed leaves in cold, so would even survive frost. 14- You can use greenhouses to grow anything in winters and excessive irrigation(for evaporative cooling) to also grow anything in summer. Monitor the temperatures precisely, so you don't destroy with excessive heat or cold. Plants only recognize temperatures which trigger biochemical reactions for dormancy, growth, and flowering. You just have to give them these temperatures and protect them from excessive heat and cold to grow them anywhere. To prevent calamitous dormancies and spurious flowering, plants usually need those temperatures for over 400 to 1000 hours(to equal seasonal variations) to trigger profound changes like dormancy and flowering They need minerals for these biochemical reactions, which you can provide or replenish via decomposed organic matter or its chemical constituents. Pesticides and herbicides and extreme temperatures destroy plants by disrupting these biochemical reactions. 15- All 3rd-world people and even the vast majority of developed-world people are like donkeys. They would have been referred to as extraordinary people, not ordinary people, had they been even superficially intelligent or intellectual beings. They haven't evolved in centuries because they have subhuman brains that comprehend very little. Never quiz them for knowledge because they don't know anything. Only ask them for the changes they observe during the seasons with their eyes, and then apply your own knowledge to establish casualties and draw inferences. Don't waste time asking donkeys for opinions.

Woah!!!! Mike Reynolds knocks it out of the park as usual!

This is so exciting, especially considering areas taken down by storm or earthquake activity could be rebuilt…to last and sustain and thrive…simply epic.

Considering how heavy compacted dirt tirewalls are, aren't you going to have to use tons of extra concrete to support the weight of the structure? Is this really any more green or sustainable than just building a 5 on 1 style apartment block once you're using all that extra concrete and rebar and whatnot?

This is very exciting to watch. WOW 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼

Whoa. Thing is a fortress.

Closer to tropic latitudes cooling is the issue . Tropic locations built on stilts requires no heat or cooling other than shade. Or fans and convection.❤

Really nice Michael, BRAVO, the trees and garden in the front really tops it off I think, it looks really nice,great work.

This is revolutionary

Clever.

oh this is cool!

If the existing earthship is simply copy-pasted, then I'm not a fan. This design encloses the air intakes at the rear and exposes them directly to a parking garage (exhaust fumes).

How gorgeous would cities be if this is what all their buildings looked like?!?!?!

This is amazing. 👀

If china gets earthships before i do...

interesting.

How are Earthships in colder environments, like in Kentucky?

I was always wondering if the garden space in front of building or the garden area inside does not prevent accumulation of solar energy.

Can you please fix your app? I desperately want these plans, i plan on starting to build in a year or so, but none of the links work. If i click to view in app it just shows the preview of the image and when i try to open them it gives me a black image with the label of what its supposed to be. If i try to download it gives me a white screen with the logo of the app up top.

what program do you use to model this??

Could earthships be built back to back shareing the thermal mass?

👍

How do the dwellings in inferior floors catch rainwater?

I'd be willing to bet actual money that Chyna is NOT like anywhere else in the world when it comes to building. I bet you will find first tyres that wont hold the beating and will break.

Just make sure you get real concrete, and not tufu dregs!