Here is a site I came across with tons of interesting information in the alternative building field.
http://www.anangpur.com/f_build.html
Ken Kern brought a lot of alternative building information from India and other countries that are not so stuck on spending 1/2 of their entire lives income to pay for their houses.
This page is for a surface protection of adobe or other block, but the entire site can be accessed from this page and it has lots of interesting information.
Glenn :D
Fascinating article on handsome, low tech walls made from interlocking handmade blocks.
New concept to me: Putting the blocks on a 45ยบ diagonal adds substantially to the strength and racking resistance of the wall by transferring forces into the foundation. Great idea!
http://www.anangpur.com/f_build.html
I studied up more on this after my previous post and will construct a form for one of these some day to make these blocks and give them a try. Right after I get my wood gas generator running ???
The nice thing about this is that rather than spend years with trial and error we get the information free and once we view it their experience (nearly) becomes ours. Locked inside our tiny little skulls just waiting for us to give it a try. Sometimes I learn new concepts on the net so fast it is scarey.
It was really great of them to share their low technology with us including detailed plans and instructions for use ;D