Unusual Materials

For this assignment we were asked to find an interior made out of unusual materials. In class we talked about the Ice hotel, which is an actual livable space completely constructed out of ice. It was a very interesting concept. Other unusual materials that have been used include everything from glass bottles, to beer cans and chocolate. I did a little research and ended up finding a tire house.

This unique house was designed and constructed by Michael Shealy in Colorado. He got started in 1989 when he retired. He and his wife owned some property and they wanted to build an earth-friendly house. The plan they ultimately came up with was built on the “Earthship” design by Michael Reynolds. After getting the plan approved Shealy began work on his new house.

The construction began with the formation of the walls using tires. A single row of tires would be laid out and then packed very tightly with earth before another layer was added on top. After the walls were erected, Shealy found 40 trees on his property that fit his parameters for his roof system. After cutting them down, he removed the bark off of each trunk. He then placed each log across the top of the walls creating the roof. Oddly shaped gaps were then filled with aluminum cans. After the structure was completed it was then covered in the clay naturally found on the site. The final outcome was a plaster-like look.

The final product was a very earth friendly, economical house. In the winter the temperature inside the house never goes below 63° with no additional heating, even when it got to -27° outside. At first glance, the house does not appear to be made out of tires, which I think is a very good thing. I don’t think I would ever want to live in the house or recommend it to anyone, but it is quite unusual. For a house made of tires it looks very decent and is actually a livable space.