What Earthship Biotecture does

Earthship Biotecture is a privately held, founder-owned architecture and construction firm headquartered in Tres Piedras, New Mexico, that designs and builds off-grid autonomous homes primarily from natural and recycled materials such as earth-packed automobile tires, aluminum cans, and glass bottles. Its core product is a portfolio of four Earthship residential models — Global, Unity, Encounter, and Refuge — each integrating six proprietary systems: passive solar with thermal mass heating/cooling, photovoltaic energy, rainwater catchment, on-site greywater treatment through interior botanical cells, interior food production in attached greenhouses, and a construction envelope using 50% recycled/upcycled content. Reported performance outcomes include maintenance of ~72°F interior temperatures year-round without conventional HVAC and up to 90% reduction in heating and cooling energy versus typical building stock.

The company operates a hybrid business model combining high-ticket custom home construction (finished homes priced from $550,000 to $1.1 million, at roughly $325–$425 per square foot), sale of construction drawings and merchandise via earthshipstore.com, nightly and monthly vacation rentals of completed Earthships in Taos, land sales within the 630-acre Greater World Community (a platted off-grid subdivision with ~90 of 130 homes built), and a training vertical called the Earthship Academy that delivers in-person Level 1 and Level 2 programs plus a 45-hour online curriculum with live Q&A. Customer segments span individual homeowners seeking off-grid living, Academy students and trainees, land buyers within the Greater World Community, vacation rental guests, and humanitarian/development organizations. Distribution relies on direct sales at the New Mexico campus, the online store, organic content and earned media (including the Oscar-nominated film Nomadland and the Garbage Warrior documentary), and referrals from the global graduate community, with documented builds in over 40 countries.

Name

Earthship Biotecture

Legal name

Earthship Biotecture

Website

https://earthship.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Earthship Biotecture designs and builds off-grid autonomous homes in Tres Piedras, New Mexico, using recycled and natural materials. It serves individual homeowners, Academy trainees, and humanitarian buyers through four home models, construction drawings, nightly rentals, and a global training program with builds in 40+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Off-Grid Housing Construction

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Green / High-Performance Home Construction (Net-Zero, Passive House) (IMAFABAH)

Keywords

• Sustainable building construction
• Off-grid housing
• Passive solar homes
• Recycled material construction
• Autonomous building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Tres Piedras

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Earthship Home Sales: Sale of finished Earthship homes at various price points ranging from $550,000 to $1.1 million USD. Includes custom builds, model homes, and existing properties in the Taos Earthship Community.
2. Nightly Rentals: Short-term vacation rentals of Earthship properties in Taos, NM. Guests can experience off-grid living with modern amenities including wifi and Netflix. Prices vary by property.
3. Earthship Academy Training Programs: In-person and online educational programs teaching autonomous building. Level 1 costs $950+, Level 2 costs $1100 USD, with accommodations extra. Internship program costs $300 USD plus taxes and housing.
4. Field Study Programs: 4-week hands-on building programs where Earthship crew and students work on enclosing a client's house. Clients can host Field Studies to reduce build costs while training students.
5. Construction Drawings and Merchandise: Sale of 'off-the-rack' construction drawings for various Earthship models (studio to three bedrooms) ranging from $400-$600. Also sells books, clothing, and other Earthship merchandise through EarthshipStore.com.
6. Visitor Center and Tours: Self-guided tours at $9 per person and guided tours at $22 (adults) / $13 (children). Private tours available by appointment.
7. Architectural Consultation: Consultations with Michael Reynolds at $300 USD for 30 minutes to discuss building projects, designs, and permitting.
8. Land Sales: Sale of land parcels within the Taos Earthship Community, including lots in the Greater World Community (3-acre lots available).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Earthship Biotecture designs, builds, and sells four proprietary off-grid home models (Global, Unity, Encounter, and Refuge) constructed from natural and recycled materials (primarily rammed earth tires, aluminum cans, and glass bottles) priced from $325 to $425 per square foot. Each Earthship integrates six self-sustaining systems: solar photovoltaic electricity, rainwater/snow catchment, contained greywater treatment and sewage handling, thermal mass heating/cooling, in-home organic food production, and recycled-material construction. Beyond home sales, the company generates revenue through the Earthship Academy training programs, Field Study hands-on construction experiences, nightly vacation rentals, Visitor Center tours, and construction drawings/merchandise via EarthshipStore.com.

Product overview

Earthship Biotecture offers a portfolio of off-grid sustainable building products and educational services. The core offering consists of four Earthship model designs (Global, Unity, Encounter, and Refuge) ranging from $325-$425 per square foot, each representing passive solar homes built from natural and recycled materials. These models share six core systems: interior food production, solar photovoltaic energy, water catchment, thermal mass heating/cooling, recycled materials construction (50% recycled content), and greywater treatment. Supporting products include the Earthship Academy (on-campus and online training programs), Field Study (hands-on construction experience), Nightly Rentals (vacation stays in operational Earthships), Visitor Center Tours, Construction Drawings for self-builders, and custom Build Services including architectural consultation. The company also offers a members-only Backstage resource with detailed construction documentation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Earthship Academy: The foremost autonomous building school in the world, offering hands-on and online training in Earthship construction and autonomous living.
• Earthship Nightly Rentals
• Earthship Visitor Center
• Earthship Backstage

Products and services

• Global Model Earthship Flagship Earthship model engineered to perform in almost any climate worldwide, featuring a double-layer glass greenhouse between living spaces and outdoors, underground cooling tubes, and convection skylights for natural ventilation. Available from studio to three bedrooms, built in France, Germany, Mexico, Canada, and across the United States.
• Unity Model Earthship U-shaped room Earthship configuration where each room is surrounded by thermal mass, with direct bedroom egress for permitting, insulated drapes to seal inner spaces, simple U construction, no roof penetrations, and electric snow melt for a more user-friendly build and operation.
• Encounter Model Earthship A modified Global Model priced at 30% less per square foot, available in studio, one bed, two bed, and three bed configurations. Fully off-grid with solar electricity, water catchment, contained wastewater treatment, passive solar, and thermal dynamics.
• Refuge Model Earthship The lowest-cost Earthship model designed for construction with more universal, low-cost materials and simplified techniques. The R3 Earthship is the latest, most efficient Refuge design, featuring fire and tornado resistance.
• Earthship Academy Autonomous building school offering on-campus Level 1 and Level 2 programs (each one week long) plus an Online Academy with 3- or 6-month access to 45 hours of classes, 150 textbook pages, and live Q&A sessions with Michael Reynolds. Includes completion certificates and pathways into Field Study and Independent Study.
• Earthship Field Study A 3- or 4-week full hands-on practice program where participants work alongside the Earthship Biotecture crew to construct an Earthship from the ground up. Practical construction experience without classroom time, combinable with hosting to reduce client build costs.
• Earthship Nightly Rentals Short-term vacation rental experience in operational Earthships located 14 miles northwest of Taos, New Mexico on a high desert mesa. Properties include fully fitted kitchens, WiFi, and Netflix. Available rentals include Phoenix, Atlantis, Lemuria, and Hobbit House Earthships.
• Earthship Visitor Center Tours Self-guided tours available daily from 9am-4pm ($9 per person) and guided tours at 4pm ($22 adults, $13 children). Private tours by reservation. Located at 2 Earthship Way, Tres Piedras, NM 87577.
• Construction Drawings Off-the-rack construction drawings for Earthship models from studio to three bedroom configurations, sold through EarthshipStore.com at $400-$600. Enables DIY builders to construct Earthships independently.
• Earthship Biotecture Build Services Custom Earthship building services for clients, including architectural consultation with Michael Reynolds ($300 USD for 30 minutes), planning and permitting guidance, material sourcing, and construction supervision. Minimum price approximately $300 per square foot.

Quantifiable outcome

• Every drop of water that lands on an Earthship roof is used four times
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Western Colorado UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 August 2020MEM (probably Mountains and Minds Education) partnered with Earthship Biotecture Academy to offer college credit for Earthship Academy programs. AmeriCorps volunteers can apply their Segal Education Award toward tuition.
• AmeriCorpsminorOthersAmeriCorps volunteers can apply their Segal Education Award toward attending the Earthship Biotecture Academy. Students register with Earthship Academy, then complete Western Colorado University's credit registration process.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Deltec Homes: Deltec Homes designs and manufactures round, hurricane-resistant prefabricated homes with a sustainability and resilience focus, directly comparable to Earthship's disaster-resilient residential building mission. Both companies serve customers seeking self-sufficient, climate-adapted housing at premium price points.
• Plant Prefab: Plant Prefab is a sustainable prefabricated home builder using plant-based and recycled materials with a focus on custom and modular green construction. Both companies deliver architect-designed sustainable homes, though Plant Prefab leverages industrialized prefab manufacturing rather than on-site rammed-earth techniques.
• Method Homes: Method Homes is a premium prefabricated home builder focused on sustainable, energy-efficient, and net-zero residential construction. Both companies target environmentally conscious buyers willing to pay a premium for high-performance, sustainable housing solutions.
• Ecocor: Ecocor designs and builds Passive House-certified prefabricated homes focused on net-zero energy performance and healthy indoor environments. Both companies compete in the high-performance sustainable residential market with similar per-square-foot pricing and a focus on energy independence.
• Living Homes: Living Homes (formerly part of the Plant Prefab founder's portfolio) developed LEED Platinum, sustainable prefab homes designed by prominent architects. Both companies focus on architecturally distinctive, environmentally responsible residential construction using non-conventional methods and materials.

Emerging players

• Cover Technologies: Cover designs and manufactures software-driven, sustainable backyard accessory dwelling units (ADUs) using structural steel framing. While more tech-forward and modular than Earthship's manual construction, Cover competes for the same sustainability-minded residential customer seeking energy-efficient autonomous housing.
• Dvele: Dvele produces tech-enabled, high-performance prefabricated homes emphasizing health, sustainability, and energy self-sufficiency. The company overlaps with Earthship's autonomous-living value proposition, though Dvele uses smart-home technology and industrialized prefab rather than recycled-material on-site construction.
• Haven Tiny Homes: Haven Tiny Homes builds off-grid-capable tiny homes on wheels with sustainable features and a focus on affordability. While much smaller in scale, Haven overlaps with Earthship's off-grid autonomous living customer segment, particularly for entry-level sustainable housing buyers.
• Clever Cabins: Clever Cabins designs sustainable, prefabricated small homes and ADUs emphasizing energy efficiency and modern aesthetics. While more conventional in materials and mass-market focused, Clever Cabins competes with Earthship in the entry-level sustainable housing segment.

Others

• Yodomo: Yodomo operates a marketplace for sustainable craft and DIY courses including natural building techniques. While not a residential builder, Yodomo is thematically adjacent to Earthship's Earthship Academy as a platform delivering education around sustainable hands-on construction skills.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@earthship
• Facebookfacebook.com/earthship
• Instagraminstagram.com/earthship
• Xx.com/earthship_HQ

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Earthship Biotecture