The Earthship is a completely independent globally oriented dwelling unit made from materials that are indigenous to the entire planet. The major structural building components of the home are used automobile tires filled with compacted earth to form rammed earth bricks encased in steel belted rubber. These bricks and the resulting bearing walls they form are virtually indestructible. Used tires have low embodied energy; they are ready for reuse in construction without any alteration. Earth, another material with low embodied energy, is available on site or close to the site for ramming the tires and earth berming. Used cardboard is laid inside the tires to prevent the pounded earth from spilling out the bottom of the tire. Non-loadbearing walls are constructed with aluminum cans, glass bottles and cement. Prefabricated building components can be mass-produced locally, saving time, resources and construction waste.

The three foot thick massive walls and the method of incorporating them into the earth create living spaces that retain a constant temperature. Thus, with solar gain and natural ventilation systems built in, this building will heat itself in the winter and cool itself in the summer without the use of centralized fossil or nuclear fuels. The living spaces of these homes are wrapped on three sides with rammed earth mass walls. This mass acts like a battery, storing radiant heat and direct solar gain within it, releasing this heat as the building cools at night and as the temperatures drop during the winter. In addition, wrapping the east, north and west sides of the buildings in earth berms enables the interiors of the buildings to tap into the stable temperature of the earth's surface, the end result being a daily and seasonal temperature far more stable than conventional housing with average low winter interior temperatures around 60° F (15.6° C). By adding thermal shades which are closed in the evening on the glazed south face, more warmth can be retained.

Article and photo originally taken from Earthship Biotecture.