Chínese Da Pung Low-cost Low-tech High-efficency Growing Environment

Reengineered by Carey Ma

Da Pung Design: Traditonal Elements

Depending on location, most of the original designs used earth bricks or blocks.

Sometimes local Ag residue like wheat straw was added.

Some were sunken, others not. Excavation adds labor/cost.

Da Pung Design:

Variablility

Da Pung Design: CDP 3.0 by Carey Ma

The original “Dapung”, aka Chinese greenhouse, has many advantages over the modern brick versions. It is more efficient with a better ROI than the western counterpart. Especially high-tech greenhouses being used for an inappropriate application.

My Da Pung design utilizes the best technology and methods.

These various components were then integrated with 30 years of experience.

Which have resulted in this hybrid structure I have built.

No sod bricks or blocks were used because the soil had high

clay content.All we needed was a backhoe.

The vertical braces were made on premise with local cement and reinforced with steel bars.

The roof beams (next slide) are made of bamboo strips, (not even full poles)

Now we can grow the beams using live bamboo for even more harvest and even more green.

One of the most beneficial advantages of an earth sheltered Da Pung is the amount

of retained vertical height.

Tomato plants have plenty of room to stretch.

Low profile

Low profile means not so much wind resistance.

An earth sheltered back wall means higher solar retention. Cool air

vents

Technological improvements not shown

• Low-tech cooling set:Solar chimneySubterranean air coolingCold sink

• Moisture wicking set:Condensation pathwaysDrainage for excess moisture

• Solar Panels (PV)

• Passive Solar Heating (water)

• Livestock integration & or

• Aquaponics

• Organic material treatments

• Electrical driven mechanics

Substitute Heating set:• Rocket stove• Organic mass pellets • Subterranean heating

• Substitute Lighting ~ green & grow

• Automation

• Robotics

• Improved InsulationPlastic Sheeting

Accessories:

Addressing technical challenges of other models

When doing anything, we should understand what things are made of, why and how is it constructed.

• What materials are used? Sod, fired bricks, cement blocks?• Should we have a foundation? What material?The original idea was to collect radiant heat via solar mass but how

thick a wall is cost effective yet functions as designed?

What other technologies are appropriate and compatible to incorporate?

I believe this would be the perfect place to try HIPR (holistic integrated polyculture robotics)

MoistureAnother thing that was good about the original design & materials was

that sod, even with high clay content, is breathable. Moisture had a chance to escape and if necessary, leach down or evaporate through the back wall.

Excess moisture/ poor air circulation, is the number one cause and spread of disease in CEA (controlled environment Ag ~ greenhouses).

In earth-sheltered Dapungs moisture is either wicked into the wall structure while condensation is channeled back to the aquaponics unit.

Heat Retention

Good examples of modern DaPung construction

My Dapung have a 2-degree slope towards the front. There are two gutters; one on the outside and another within. Both channels shuttle water and cold air to a deep dry-well, where cold tubes run perpendicularly away from the front.