Tin can wall

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A building being built using beer cans as bricks
Mike Reynolds
next to a tin can wall in the 1970s

A tin can wall is a

shingles.[1]
They can also be used for furniture.

Tin cans can form the actual fill-in structure (or walls) of a building, as is done with

earthships
. Tin cans have not been around for a long time, and neither have their building methods. The two main structural methods for building with tin cans are by laying them horizontally in a concrete matrix and by stacking them vertically.

History

Tin can building in New Mexico originated in the early 1980s as a response to the massive amounts of trash being discarded and the wasteful nature of common building practices.[

Mike Reynolds
, also creator of the earthship building method.

Construction

A “traditional” earthship tin can wall is made by horizontally stacking tin cans in a concrete matrix. The cans are laid side by side and in alternating rows, similar to bricks. This is done simply and efficiently, using batches of concrete between the cans. The consistency of the concrete must be relatively thick, so as to hold its form and the tin cans in place. A surprisingly large number of cans are required.

The method for stacking the cans involves creating a row of cans separated by hand-formed “lumps” of concrete. The layout of a row is can, concrete, can, etc. This is then repeated, except that the alternating pattern is reversed, so that every can is laid on top of a concrete “lump” below it. This continues until completed, or the weight of the wall and the hardness of the cement seem questionable in terms of solidity. At that point it would be wise to wait for the wall to harden, but the laying time for cans and concrete is such that by the time a builder makes it back to an area that was recently laid it has had time to set. It is a judgment call as to whether or not the builder should continue, but by the next day or even later in the same day building can resume.

Materials

The materials that go into a tin can wall are simple: mainly tin cans and concrete. Tin cans (now

aluminum cans as real tin cans are not as readily available) can be acquired from any recycling center or a local bar. Brick mortar
may also be used instead of cement.

Coating

Once the wall is completed, the cans and the concrete are covered with a layer of cement or

pull-tabs, etc.) and the roughness of the cement will provide a lath
-like surface for the cement or adobe to stick to.

This initial layer is “screeded” (scratched with a tool that creates a ridge-like pattern thereby making it easier to apply another coat) and a second layer is added. More layers may be added, but it is up to the builder’s judgment and dependent upon the material being applied. In the case of adobe mud, once the initial layer is applied and allowed to harden it will crack and will need additional coats. With cement fewer layers are needed. The basic rule is: the more coats/layers, the stronger and better-looking the wall will be. This can be overdone however.

When a tin can wall has been sufficiently coated it will then be “finished” with a fine plaster (

lime-based or other), stucco (if the wall is outside), or linseed oil (in the case of adobe). It can also be finished with a clay “slip”, or aliz,[2] which is an earth-based coat that can have natural pigment and fine grains of mica
mixed in to produce a beautiful shimmering and organic-looking surface.

Examples

An outside tin can insulating wall is a simple design. It is made out of two tin can walls with a layer of solid insulation in the middle. The insulation can vary in thickness, depending on climate and budget. It can be made out of various “green” or sustainable materials or average run-of-the-mill solid insulation. The exposed sides of the tin can walls (those not facing the insulation) are finished using methods aforementioned. The inside part of the wall can be coated with adobe while the outside is finished with concrete and stucco.

Taos County, New Mexico
. Glass bottles around the first door frame, and much of the second, admit light.

A

foundation) and stacking cans to either side of the frame until they reach the other walls of the building and the ceiling. The door frame is fastened to the tin can wall by hammering nails partially into the side of the frame that will touch the tin can wall and allowing the concrete to harden around the nails. Short strips of metal lath
are also attached to the frame and folded out (perpendicular to the frame) and allowed to set in the can/concrete matrix.

The same method is applied to

bubble level
or similar device. Once the desired height is reached to install a window frame, the wall is leveled. If any cans stick above the level plane they can be flattened to the desired height. Nails and lath sticking out from under the window frame holds the bottom of it in place, and the sides and top of the frame are fastened in the same fashion as a door frame.

To make a smooth transition from door (or window frame) to tin can wall with

wooden
frame is therefore required, to give a surface for the metal lath to be nailed to while leaving the inside frame untouched. However, this is not necessarily a necessity.

pipe
, or there can be a wooden frame made similar to a window or door to house the pipe.

Strength and use

Tin can walls are not considered

timber
roof to a tin can wall without support beams or frames. The basic function for can walls is in-fill (filling in the space between support beams or the main structure) and the division of space. They work well to separate a living room from a bedroom, and are also used as insulating walls from the outside.

An earthship tin can wall is both an efficient and economical building method. They are mainly composed of aluminum and cement, and can withstand the test of time. They are made from few materials (the coating method can be more complex than building the wall itself). They use recycled materials and require little or no skill to build.

Alternative methods

The other tin can wall method that will be briefly described is a system developed by a German artist named Michael Hönes.

storms
.

A site for the first village in Maseru has been secured and the funding has been sourced. What is lacking is building permits (as of July 2004). The TCV organization, headed by Hönes, has been prefabricating tin can walls so that when the permits pass about one building a week can be constructed.

So far the TCV organization’s efforts have been concentrated on storehouses, offices, a large weaving workshop for the women of the Elelloang Basali Weavers group in Teyateyaneng, and a solar-powered restaurant

solar ovens. Michael Hönes also focuses on tin can furniture and has created a stove out of tin cans that uses one-third less wood than what the poor people of the area commonly use, thereby diminishing the firewood
crisis in Lesotho.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Van Os Keuls - Innovative building materials from everyday tin cans: Eco-artware Recycling Rag Newsletter". Archived from the original on 2007-02-14. Retrieved 2007-03-08.
  2. ^ "Natural Building Colloquium".
  3. ^ "Home". can-products.de.
  4. ^ "News".

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tin_can_wall&oldid=1195282337"