Earthship Burundi
Tropical Earthship in Africa
Earthship Burundi: Pioneering Sustainable Living in Africa
Earthship Burundi is the visionary project of Peter Hemmings, a passionate advocate for sustainable living from Adelaide, South Australia. His mission? To bring Earthship Eco Homes to Africa, starting with Burundi—a small East African nation with a tropical climate and some huge economic challenges. It is the poorest country in the world with most people doing "subsistence agriculture" i.e. growing their own food with not much time or money to spare for housing, clothing, education etc.
This initiative is more than just architecture—it’s about empowerment, resilience, and regeneration. The Earthship Burundi project will deliver seven eco-tourism cabins, a restaurant, and a homestead, providing much-needed investment and employment opportunities for the local community.
A Tropical Earthship Reimagined
Traditional Earthships thrive in arid and temperate climates, but designing for hot, humid conditions and monsoonal rains required innovation. This new modular design builds on Earthship principles while adapting to the realities of Burundi’s environment:
✔ Scalable & Flexible – A modular system where tiny house-style cabins form the foundation. These can be linked together to create larger structures like the restaurant and homestead.
✔ Water Collection - The steep thatched roof, inspired by ancient, time-tested tropical construction, quickly sheds heavy rain into plumbed garden beds that direct water into downhill storage tanks.
✔ Naturally Cool & Comfortable – Unlike traditional Earthships, which rely on heavy thermal mass, these buildings prioritise insulation and airflow to prevent nighttime overheating.
✔ Minimal Energy Use – Smart passive design reduces energy demand, while renewable energy systems provide the little power required.
✔ Regenerative Waste Systems – Composting toilets turn waste into rich organic "humanure", while greywater from showers and basins irrigates food gardens.
✔ Eco-Friendly Materials – Staying true to Earthship principles, these homes incorporate 200 waste car tyres per cabin, locally sourced sustainable timber, and earth floors instead of carbon-intensive concrete.
Building a Sustainable Future for Burundi
This project is just the beginning. As locals learn the Earthship building techniques, they’ll gain the skills to replicate and expand this model across the country—creating homes that are low-cost, self-sufficient, and resilient. By combining eco-tourism, sustainable construction, and community empowerment, Earthship Burundi is evolving regenerative design in Africa: honouring traditional local methods and materials, and blending them with Earthship design and construction principles.
Earthship Burundi is the visionary project of Peter Hemmings, a passionate advocate for sustainable living from Adelaide, South Australia. His mission? To bring Earthship Eco Homes to Africa, starting with Burundi—a small East African nation with a tropical climate and some huge economic challenges. It is the poorest country in the world with most people doing "subsistence agriculture" i.e. growing their own food with not much time or money to spare for housing, clothing, education etc.
This initiative is more than just architecture—it’s about empowerment, resilience, and regeneration. The Earthship Burundi project will deliver seven eco-tourism cabins, a restaurant, and a homestead, providing much-needed investment and employment opportunities for the local community.
A Tropical Earthship Reimagined
Traditional Earthships thrive in arid and temperate climates, but designing for hot, humid conditions and monsoonal rains required innovation. This new modular design builds on Earthship principles while adapting to the realities of Burundi’s environment:
✔ Scalable & Flexible – A modular system where tiny house-style cabins form the foundation. These can be linked together to create larger structures like the restaurant and homestead.
✔ Water Collection - The steep thatched roof, inspired by ancient, time-tested tropical construction, quickly sheds heavy rain into plumbed garden beds that direct water into downhill storage tanks.
✔ Naturally Cool & Comfortable – Unlike traditional Earthships, which rely on heavy thermal mass, these buildings prioritise insulation and airflow to prevent nighttime overheating.
✔ Minimal Energy Use – Smart passive design reduces energy demand, while renewable energy systems provide the little power required.
✔ Regenerative Waste Systems – Composting toilets turn waste into rich organic "humanure", while greywater from showers and basins irrigates food gardens.
✔ Eco-Friendly Materials – Staying true to Earthship principles, these homes incorporate 200 waste car tyres per cabin, locally sourced sustainable timber, and earth floors instead of carbon-intensive concrete.
Building a Sustainable Future for Burundi
This project is just the beginning. As locals learn the Earthship building techniques, they’ll gain the skills to replicate and expand this model across the country—creating homes that are low-cost, self-sufficient, and resilient. By combining eco-tourism, sustainable construction, and community empowerment, Earthship Burundi is evolving regenerative design in Africa: honouring traditional local methods and materials, and blending them with Earthship design and construction principles.
Construction, August 2025
Earthship Burundi – Building an Eco Resort in the World’s Poorest Country
In August 2025 I travelled to Burundi to supervise the first stage of construction on an ambitious project: an Earthship-inspired eco-tourist resort. The vision is to attract travellers from overseas, bringing much-needed income into a country where most people rely on subsistence farming. Tourism here has the potential to create new jobs, diversify the economy, and provide opportunities beyond daily survival. For four weeks I worked alongside my client Pete and a dedicated team of local workers. Together we began construction on the restaurant and one of the cabins. The aim was to teach the construction methods to the locals and ensure that the innovative construction details were working as expected. Over the next year Pete will continue to travel between Adelaide and Burundi, working shoulder to shoulder with the locals to bring the project to life.
The Realities of Building in Burundi
Construction in Burundi came with plenty of challenges. Petrol was scarce—stations were often closed almost every day of the week—and the roads were rough, narrow, and mostly dirt, cobblestone, or broken bitumen. Materials that are free in Australia, like used tyres and cardboard (essential in Earthship construction), had to be purchased because in Burundi nothing goes to waste. What we call the “Circular Economy” is not a trendy concept there—it’s a way of life.
The People of Burundi
Burundi is officially the poorest country in the world, and its people have endured a history of hardship and atrocities. Yet what struck me most was their warmth. Despite the difficulties of daily life, people laughed easily—especially at my attempts to speak Kirundi—and welcomed me with kindness. I never once felt unsafe, despite the Australian Government’s stern travel warnings that almost convinced me not to go.
Reflections
With much trepidation, I packed my bags and hoped for the best—and it turned out to be the trip of a lifetime. I’m grateful to Pete for inviting me to join as designer and construction consultant. Good luck, mate—you’ve got this. I can’t wait to see Australians (and others) enjoying the Earthship Eco Resort once it’s complete.
In August 2025 I travelled to Burundi to supervise the first stage of construction on an ambitious project: an Earthship-inspired eco-tourist resort. The vision is to attract travellers from overseas, bringing much-needed income into a country where most people rely on subsistence farming. Tourism here has the potential to create new jobs, diversify the economy, and provide opportunities beyond daily survival. For four weeks I worked alongside my client Pete and a dedicated team of local workers. Together we began construction on the restaurant and one of the cabins. The aim was to teach the construction methods to the locals and ensure that the innovative construction details were working as expected. Over the next year Pete will continue to travel between Adelaide and Burundi, working shoulder to shoulder with the locals to bring the project to life.
The Realities of Building in Burundi
Construction in Burundi came with plenty of challenges. Petrol was scarce—stations were often closed almost every day of the week—and the roads were rough, narrow, and mostly dirt, cobblestone, or broken bitumen. Materials that are free in Australia, like used tyres and cardboard (essential in Earthship construction), had to be purchased because in Burundi nothing goes to waste. What we call the “Circular Economy” is not a trendy concept there—it’s a way of life.
The People of Burundi
Burundi is officially the poorest country in the world, and its people have endured a history of hardship and atrocities. Yet what struck me most was their warmth. Despite the difficulties of daily life, people laughed easily—especially at my attempts to speak Kirundi—and welcomed me with kindness. I never once felt unsafe, despite the Australian Government’s stern travel warnings that almost convinced me not to go.
Reflections
With much trepidation, I packed my bags and hoped for the best—and it turned out to be the trip of a lifetime. I’m grateful to Pete for inviting me to join as designer and construction consultant. Good luck, mate—you’ve got this. I can’t wait to see Australians (and others) enjoying the Earthship Eco Resort once it’s complete.
This is approx half of the tyre walls for the restaurant with the first of four "pyramid" structures in place; these will support a thatched roof in the traditional, local style.
Selfie with some of the local construction workers sitting on the bush posts for the restaurant. Aug 2025.
Selfie with some of the young locals who showed great curiosity in the construction work. Dressed in their finest clothes for church. Aug 2025
Some of the construction crew having a laugh. Aug 2025
Loading timber onto a bicycle that was then pushed (not ridden) about 10km to the construction site. Cardboard (for lining tyres) was also delivered like this. Aug 2025
This is Pete doing deals with the recycled bottle merchant.
Tyre wall with bond beam and the first "pyramid" erected Aug 2025.
Construction Sep-Oct 2025
Timber framing almost complete on the restaurant. Oct 2025
Pete with some of the construction crew. There are usually 10-15 people employed everyday. Oct 2025
This is Pete explaining the project to THE PRESIDENT of Burundi, Évariste Ndayishimiye, Oct 2025
Thatched roof under construction November 2025
Thatch roof under construction November 2025