Hello — we built a “double ecodome” here in Lucerne Valley, California, a rural area in the high Mojave desert. Though it took some time to get the plans approved, they were indeed approved. This was with the help of the architect, Cal Earth Institute of Hesperia, CA. We are in rural San Bernardino county. … Read more
Gotta love the Internet as a bottomless source of incredible ideas. Today’s post is about the ancient ice storage structures in Persia. You can find this and many more articles about traditional earth building at Earth Architecture. “By 400 BC, Persian engineers had mastered the technique of storing ice in the middle of summer in … Read more
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios constructs sandbag igloo From Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios website: “Thirty architects and staff completed a sandbag igloo in a field alongside the river Avon at Batheaston, finishing on 26 June 2009. The sandbag structure is a test bed exercise for a project we are working on in Namibia, supporting the work … Read more
Here’s an update from the Konbit Shelter group who’s finishing their dome in Haiti. Way to go team! Now they’re calling for volunteers to finish a prototype in Pennsylvania (see details below). “Moses, Craig, and myself left Haiti about a week and a half ago. The final week there was so frantic and felt so … Read more
My housing designs are now posted for ‘The $300 House Open Design Challenge’. I’ve submitted two proposals so far: $300 Earthbag House – What the World Needs Now, and the Stone Dome – $300 Geopolymer Earthbag Dome. There are lots of new drawings and details included. Please, please take a look, leave comments and rate … Read more
Our next structure will probably be a roofed dome, so we need to decide what’s the easiest and best way to roof a conical or dome shaped roof. Top choices include durable wood or metal shingles. I like the look of wood the most, although metal would probably be easier to install, best at sealing … Read more