dome roof

Natural Building Workshops at Quail Springs Permaculture

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“When I started this building my intention was to make the building process fun. I invited 5 friends to come work with me for a month, and we got the basic framework up, and we did indeed have a lot of fun doing it! Although I have been the main builder working on and off … Read more

The Case for Catenary Roofs

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Low cost, simple to build catenary roofs use minimal materials
Low cost, simple to build catenary roofs use minimal materials

Excerpt from the “Journal of the National Institute of Building Sciences,” February 2016:
“The Swiss civil engineer and contractor Heinz Isler (1926-2009) is regarded as one of the pioneers of shell structures. He gained renown for his experimental, physical methods of form-finding and the resulting expressive shell structures produced in thin-walled concrete, and first triggered his lifelong fascination and professional work with such structures by draping a saturated bed sheet in freezing weather to form a catenary shell before inverting it. He proved that, what gravity forms when inverted, is resistant to the forces of gravity.

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Interview with Maggi of Chiang Dao B&B on Rice Hull Houses

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Dome roof on roundhouse made with bags of rice hulls
Dome roof on roundhouse made with bags of rice hulls

Richard, a long time reader, is really excited about building with rice hulls. He’s especially interested in using this method after learning from Maggi of Chiang Dao B&B in Thailand that rice hulls are more durable than previously thought. So, not only do rice hulls save lots of time and hard labor, and create a highly insulating walls, they should also last a long time with proper precautions. Richard sent Maggi a list of questions to learn more details.

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LandTrees.net: Roof for our Cacao Dome

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“Here is a video which may be interesting for you: Namely the installation of a corrugated metal roof on one of our domes, “Cacao Dome”. This dome (not to be mistaken with the other you have documented – the EcoRancho and/or Majestic Dome, both in La Chorrera) suffered a lot in the rainy season to the point that we could not use as living quarters during the rainy season.

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Dome Roofs

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Tim Merritt, earthbag enthusiast and reader of our blog, sent us this roof idea from GardenDome.com. Tim is considering using these domes on top of earthbag walls to create more interesting shapes and save labor on the roof. The GardenDome.com website showcases over 60 domes of all different sizes and shapes. You can order their … Read more