Earthship Brighton is a self-sustainable building, completed in 2006[1] and owned by the non-profit Low Carbon Trust, situated in Stanmer Park, Brighton, England.[2][3]
The building is an example of passive solar earth-sheltered design and was constructed using waste car tyres and other recycled materials such as cans and bottles. The structure incorporates rammed earth tyres,[3] renewable power systems and rainwater harvesting.[4] It uses the planet's natural systems to provide heat, power and water and is designed to work as an autonomous building.[5]
The Low Carbon Trust (originally the Low Carbon Network) crew were trained by Mike Reynolds, who designed the Earthship structure and is the founder of Earthship Biotecture.[6] Earthship Brighton is currently one of only two Earthships in the UK[3] and was the first Earthship to be built in England. [7]
Earthship Brighton is used as a community and environmental education centre, with regular guided tours for the public.[8] It is used as a venue for various green building courses, including a three-day course on 'Self-building an Earthship'.
In 2007, a book was written about the project: Earthships: building a zero carbon future for homes.[9] A second edition, Earthships in Europe, was published in 2012, with case studies of earthships in France, Spain, and the UK. There is also an in-depth analysis of the thermal performance of the earthship in a temperate climate.