The Triangle is a solid shape. The weakest areas include hitting, locking, stances, moving and so on.

pyramid

triangular prism

hexagon

Irregular Hexagon

The hexagon is not the strongest shape, the triangle is. Make a geometric shape out of straws. This can be done by sucking a string through and tieing t hem together. If you have a triangle(3 straws you can not change its shape without breaking or bending a straw.

Hexagons are the most scientifically efficient packing shape, as bee honeycomb proves.

The sphere is the shape with the most volume per surface area.

In our discussion, we have found out that, not only that a cube and an octagon are less efficient at holding liquids, but that in the limit, the infinitely-sided polyhedron, the sphere, is the most efficient shape for holding a liquid.

So then the most efficient shape is a rectangle of width twice its height, not a square (in the corner, you have two sides, so a square is better).

Grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) panels currently provide the most cost-effective form of renewable energy for a zero energy home. They can power all the energy needs of a home including lighting, heating and cooling systems, appliances and hot water.

Instead, McCloud offers other advice to help us create our own sustainable homes:

• Use recycled or eco-friendly material wherever possible.
• Install the right balance of insulation for your home.
• Plan smaller windows.
• Add window treatments.
• Plant trees.
• Install solar.
• Draught proof doors and windows.
• Update appliances.

Generally, energy- efficient homes require relatively small heating systems. Heat recovery ventilation. Appliances with relatively high operating efficiencies are usually more expensive to purchase. Energy-efficient lighting helps keep energy bills down by producing less heat and reducing cooling requirements.

When properly constructed, adobe homes take full advantage of the sun in either active or passive solar systems and are extremely energy efficient in Arizona. They also blend into the natural beauty of the desert landscape so homeowners can enjoy the view to its fullest.

Adobe houses can last for thousands of years when they are well maintained, kept dry, expertly built, have a strong and waterproof foundation, and are located in dry areas of the world. “The Oldest House” is more than 350 years old. The Citadel of Bam, Iran is more than 2,500 years old.

By the 1980s however, seismic related changes in the California Building Code effectively ended solid wall adobe construction in California; however Post-and-Beam adobe and veneers are still being used.

Adobe construction is also quite cheap because it only requires a modest amount of labor to construct, and the labor involved in building an adobe home from smaller bricks is not excessively demanding.

Lick the material shortage by building an adobe brick house; adobe bricks are made of stabilized soil, it is as durable as concrete and much more interesting.

Why do the Southwestern people put flat roofs on their Adobe built houses? One reason is that in an arid climate, flat roofs with parapets allow the capture and collection of rain water, which can be collected in cisterns, rather than allowing this precious resource to be wasted by running off onto the ground.

while quite strong, are not waterproof and will not meet Uniform Building Code requirements. Burnt adobe bricks are also used in some areas. These are simply kiln-fired adobe bricks. They are attractive and durable but extremely absorbent, and will flake severely in areas where frost is a problem.

To make adobe more secure, many people take measures to waterproof the material.

1. Attach the netting to the adobe with the hammer and fence staples.
2. Fill one bucket with 5 gallons of water, another with 2.5 gallons of water, four with sand, and the remaining two with cement.