Earthbag Domes Survive Hurricane Chapala

Earthbag domes before the hurricane
Earthbag domes before the hurricane

“Hi Owen, Our earthbag dome has not been finished, we ran out of budget. The Chapala cyclone hit the area with very severe storms and rains a few weeks ago, here are the walls before and after.”

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Roofed Half Dome Design

My Hobbit House is just the right size for a roofed half dome earthbag home.
My Hobbit House is just the right size for a roofed half dome earthbag home.

This is a new house design that I just thought up yesterday. Basically, it’s a dome shape that’s cut off at the 8’ height level with a roof on top. The main benefit is to replace the harder to build top portion of the dome with a faster, easier to construct roof that will protect the earthbag walls. This is a good design for earthquake regions like Nepal that get a lot of rain. Lightweight roofs are preferable to heavy roofs in seismic areas, plus domes will have moisture problems and mold in rainy climates. Metal roofing would be a good choice for this design.

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United Earth Builders Earthbag Dome Workshop in AZ

United Earth Builders Earthbag Dome Workshop in AZ
United Earth Builders Earthbag Dome Workshop in AZ

September 28th – October 24th 2015

“Come join United Earth Builders in Concho, AZ for a four-week workshop in which you will participate in building a 12′ diameter dome from start to finish. We will be focusing on foundations, earthbag/superadobe applications and climate-appropriate design, dome geometry, form-building, door and window installation, and plaster work.

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Summer Bag Blitz! Earthbag and Natural Building Intensive Workshop

Summer Bag Blitz! Earthbag and Natural Building Intensive Workshop
June 27th – July 5th, 2015

Natural Building & Earthbag 9 day or 5 day Intensive – “Bag Blitz!
“Thinking about building your own Natural House? This is the in-depth workshop for you.

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Nomad Foundation Domes and Tuareg tribe in Niger, Africa

Nomad Foundation earthbag domes in Niger
Nomad Foundation earthbag domes in Niger

“There were many goals to be achieved with this training program. The final project was to leave them with 2 dorms; one for boys, one for girls, and one for the teacher. The nomads were to build it in order to learn how to build something, as they are not accustomed to building. We had trained 23 nomads on how to build domes with reclaimed rice and flour bags.

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