How would you like to live in a house that is inexpensive, can be constructed in a day, is made from materials with low environmental impact, is earthquake, fire and typhoon resistant, and is…well, just plain cool? Personally, I’d love to have a home like this.
For a couple of years now I’ve been trying to figure out how to build my own dome home out of everything from concrete to thatch, but nothing seemed to do the job quite right. Why a dome home? Because the dome is strong, aerodynamic, and spacious (particularly valuable traits in a country know for earthquakes, typhoons and lack of space). Then I came across the TreeHugger article, “Living Small, Cheap and Simple. Try a Dome House” and had a eureka experience. Here was a company, located only a few hours away from my Nagano, Japan base, which is actively manufacturing dome homes with the basic specs I had only been dreaming about. Talk about a surge of excitement. You may be asking yourself how one might fit ten kids and Granny in a seven-meter diameter house. It could get pretty cramped. Well, it’s simple…. Just connect a few more domes until you have enough living space to keep your growing family happy. Why stop there? Create your own community of dome houses. I mentioned the house to a few of my international friends and got requests for more information. So, here you go guys, click on the above TreeHugger article link and also on this one for International Dome House’s English website (still a bit buggy but getting there) here: http://www.i-domehouse.com/index.html
Let me know if you found this information as exciting as I did.
Tags: cheap housing, dome house, environmentally-friendly housing
July 25th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
it can also use the bamboo as supplementary materials for building the home. bamboo home decor is one of the main applications, else of it, the un-important part of the house can also use bamboo. for example in japan, the bamboo is for door, table, chair, garden furniture etc.
July 25th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Thanks for your comment. I’m also a big fan of bamboo because it’s fast growing, lightweight, strong, resists termites and is beautiful. I know that bamboo is used as framing in the straw and mud walls of traditional Japanese houses.
August 23rd, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Wow great site mate,…I’ve always liked domes,….very nice. I also read an artical in a garden magazine bout a bloke who built himself a “biostructure”,…for under $10000. Its basically poles holding up a wire/plastic dome. Then you plant out the perimeter with vines/plants and they grow over the whole thing. I have a basic website about it,…ya just gotta think big when thinking about how I explain it,…20-30mts high poles,…maybe 50-100mts long would be good. Multi floor,…streams,…massive wedge skylights,…plants inside too,…really connecting with nature,….its a dream of mine to build one of these one day,…check out my site and tell me what ya think. Thanks mate…the site is http://www.freewebs.com/ftwmw/
August 24th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Hi Mick,
Thanks for the kind comments and the information about biostructures. I love the idea of incorporating plants into the design of a building not just for beautification, but also for improving air quality and regulating temperature and humidity. I’m growing pumpkin vines on the west side of my home. Speaking of using living flora as building material… over summer break my family visited a campsite that an elderly Japanese man had set up. He had bent living bamboo stalks into arches over the barbecue pits and benches. When I asked why he had done this he replied that it was to keep the rain off…simply throw a plastic sheet over the bamboo and voila, instant roof. I’m wondering if living bamboo could be used to make even more permanent, durable structures. Please keep us updated on the progress of your dome structure. It sounds exciting.
February 13th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Any info on when these guys will begin exporting, especially to the United States? Really like their component-based approach. Thanks!
February 13th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Hi Mark, thanks for the comment. The company is still relatively new and small, although growing quickly. Last fall, I was told that they are very interested in the U.S. market, but that they haven’t yet developed an entry timeline. They seem to be concerned about the American taste for big, rectangular houses. I’m currently consulting in Dallas and just experienced a record-breaking snowfall. I heard that a number of business and residential roofs collapsed from the weight of the wet snow, causing me to pause and reflect on the advantages a dome house might offer in this situation.