I have visited the Earthship Biotecture World Headquarters outside of Taos NM many times. Everything I have gone, there has been a new addition of homes. I love their dedication to a sustainable future off the grid! The architecture itself is a marvel. It is worth the 15 or so mile drive out from Taos.
We are interesting in doing something like this in the future with our home so we decided to stay the night. It was surprisingly warm and comfortable, even during the cool February night. It was very educational to actually stay in one but the tour in the visitors center was also good. Most of it we already knew from staying in one the night before, but it is worth it if you don't know how the structures are made and work. Everyone was very friendly and they can answer pretty much any question that you have. I would recommend at least visiting to get an idea of what ingenuity can accomplish. Living "off the grid" can be very comfortable and economical!
This experience was simply amazing! It was the best part of my trip to Taos. The tour was very educational.
I've stayed at several of the Earthships over the years and can't recommend this experience enough. They are green architecture taken to the level of high art. Many of them are beautifully finished inside, usually featuring local materials. They are comfortable, natural, eco-friendly structures set on the west mesa across the Gorge bridge with outstanding 360-degree views of the amazing landscape surrounding Taos.
It looked so strange, it was like being in Star Wars! It was snowing which added to the eerie feeling!
We are not environmentalists, BUT this was an incredible tour and very informative. It is well worth the time and experience to see what Earthship Biotecture is all about.
The unique style of architecture and building materials here will delight all who make a stop. The innovative ways to use everyday materials in new ways is very educational. The Earthships are all very beautiful in their own ways.
The 10 mile or so drive from the Taos plaza to the Biotecture World Headquarters and Visitor Center is well worth it, not least because you get to cross the amazing Rio Grande Gorge Bridge along the way. Our tour of the Earthships site proved to be one of the highlight experiences of our visit to Taos. Although I had a good bit of second-hand knowledge about sustainable earth construction technology, this tour gave me my first chance to see earthships up close and personal. Thanks to the self-guided tour of the visitor center displays and exhibits, I also learned some of the finer points of earthship operation and maintenance. We even got to see an earthship structure under construction nearby.The hour that we spend at this place was inspirational as well as educational, but it left me wondering whether it provided a glimpse into America’s future or just one of those evolutionary dead ends. At the very least, I guess, it’s a “clean dream” about a future that could be. And as they say, you have to have a dream if you’re going to have a dream come true.
If you want to learn about living "off the grid," go to the Earthship Visitor's Center. These structures are not unique to the Taos area, but have been built throughout the world. If I could, I'd have a house like this.
What a great concept and hope to see more people visiting and understand what these unities are all about! We could definitely see ourselves building something like this... just need to decide if the Greater World is for us or another location :)