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<!--Generated by Squarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/) on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:59:07 GMT--><rss xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" version="2.0"><channel><title>Journal</title><link>http://www.earthwall.net/journal/</link><description></description><lastBuildDate>Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:04:00 +0000</lastBuildDate><copyright></copyright><language>en-US</language><generator>Squarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/)</generator><item><title>When Organic is a Bad Choice</title><category>Theory</category><category>environment</category><category>health</category><category>inorganic</category><category>organic</category><category>rammed earth</category><dc:creator>Sam Rodell</dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 19 Feb 2011 02:03:28 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.earthwall.net/journal/2011/2/18/when-organic-is-a-bad-choice.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">783225:9178559:10531661</guid><description><![CDATA[<p>Waste is a human invention... it does not exist in nature.&nbsp; In the natural world, everything is cyclical; everything happens in closed loops and dynamic systems of loops.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>One familiar example would be the hydrological cycle, in which energy from the sun charges the atmosphere with water vapor and moves it inland on thermal currents, where it falls to the earth as rain or snow and begins&nbsp;the journey back to the sea.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.earthwall.net/storage/600_cycles_sea.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1298147961376" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>Every living thing&nbsp;in nature cycles through a similar pattern.&nbsp; The definition of <strong>organic</strong> is "related to, or derived from living organisms."&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In a broad perspective, all living ('organic') material belongs to the <strong>soil cycle</strong>,&nbsp;meaning nature intends for it to return to the soil.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Natures' plan for anything organic is for it to ultimately burn, provide food for other living organisms, or return to the soil to decompose.</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.earthwall.net/storage/600_cycles_apple.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1298147505429" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>In contrast, the&nbsp;definition of <strong>inorganic </strong>is "involving neither organic life nor the products of organic life."&nbsp; Inorganic material does not belong to the soil cycle.&nbsp;&nbsp; It will not rot, burn, or provide food for other organisms... and it tends to have abundant thermal mass.</p>
<p>The implications of these fundamental facts of life have profound implications for the design of the built environment.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Why select organic material to build with, if we know that it is destined to burn, decay, or rot?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Wood is a beautiful material, and we love it in applications like furniture or interiors, but if&nbsp;durable architecture is the goal,&nbsp;it&nbsp;is an extremely poor&nbsp;choice as a material for the exterior envelope of a building.</p>
<p>Mainstream, industrialized construction materials and methods that use organic material&nbsp;most often attempt to&nbsp;resist&nbsp;and delay the course of nature by means of&nbsp;toxic chemical treatments and processing.&nbsp;&nbsp; We live in the midst of a cancer epidemic - and we live and work in interior spaces created with known carcinogens.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>The earth offers us&nbsp;a virtually unlimited quantity of inorganic material,&nbsp;right underneath us, that is available to build healthy buildings with&nbsp;the absolute most minimal impact on the environment.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Inorganic material is the&nbsp;obvious choice for building architecture that is non-toxic, durable, and comfortable in the heat or cold.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.earthwall.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-10531661.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Deep Green By Nature</title><category>Theory</category><category>architecture</category><category>biosphere</category><category>green</category><category>rammed earth</category><dc:creator>Sam Rodell</dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 13 Feb 2011 01:31:59 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.earthwall.net/journal/2011/2/12/deep-green-by-nature.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">783225:9178559:10158038</guid><description><![CDATA[SIREWALL does not diminish or pollute the biosphere; it builds from the vast inorganic mass that lies mostly below it]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.earthwall.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-10158038.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>SIREWALL Versus</title><category>Technology</category><category>masonry</category><category>rammed earth</category><category>steel</category><category>straw bale</category><category>wood frame</category><dc:creator>Sam Rodell</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:12:10 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.earthwall.net/journal/2011/2/11/sirewall-versus.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">783225:9178559:10448865</guid><description><![CDATA[one relatively new addition to the lexicon of wall systems - SIREWALL (Stabilized Insulated Rammed Earth) &ndash; offers potentially compelling advantages when compared to more widely known possibilities]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.earthwall.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-10448865.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Temporal Ordering</title><category>Theory</category><category>durability</category><category>permanence</category><category>rammed earth</category><dc:creator>Sam Rodell</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:19:20 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.earthwall.net/journal/2011/1/26/temporal-ordering.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">783225:9178559:10235349</guid><description><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">What are the implications of designing buildings that will stand for generations rather than years?</p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.earthwall.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-10235349.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Perspectives: Knowledge vs. Wisdom</title><category>Theory</category><category>eastern</category><category>philosophy</category><category>rammed earth</category><category>western</category><dc:creator>Sam Rodell</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 26 Jan 2011 04:05:39 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.earthwall.net/journal/2011/1/25/perspectives-knowledge-vs-wisdom.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">783225:9178559:10227317</guid><description><![CDATA[Imagine building with materials like SIREWALL that seamlessly blend Cartesian sophistication with Taoist harmony.&nbsp;]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.earthwall.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-10227317.xml</wfw:commentRss></item><item><title>Value Driven Material Selection</title><category>Technology</category><category>aesthetics</category><category>durability</category><category>eco-appropriateness</category><category>energy efficiency</category><category>health</category><category>insulation</category><category>rammed earth</category><dc:creator>Sam Rodell</dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 23 Jan 2011 23:16:15 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.earthwall.net/journal/2011/1/23/value-driven-material-selection.html</link><guid isPermaLink="false">783225:9178559:10186557</guid><description><![CDATA[<p>Every component included in the SIREWALL system is subjected to rigorous evaluation, prioritized by our Hierarchy of Values:</p>]]></description><wfw:commentRss>http://www.earthwall.net/journal/rss-comments-entry-10186557.xml</wfw:commentRss></item></channel></rss>
