Recently, some special news caught my attention during my weekly based phone call with my mother. It appears that my younger sister, wich is 23 years old, came up with the idea to build a geodesic dome in our family land. At first, I got very surprised because for a while now I had been reading about the benefits of such a house design, and also because I would never have expected that kind of idea coming from herself. She had never told anyone about this project before. I told her that some people at my university are aware of this construction technique, and have investigated its benefits over standard houses. Surpsingly, she already knew all of this and even more. In her nature, she is a kind of traveller girl who likes to see new things. She past the last two years in BC, west Canada, working in the nature, and she probably got a hord of hints and informations about the subject. As it went on, she told me that she had already made the first steps into the project by making an evaluation of the work. She found a US geodesic home constructer that could sell her one at good price (<30k$), and she even found the spot in our land where the house will be, near the place where we cut the wood every year. I must say that we own a superficy of about 200 hectares (mainly 70% forest and 30% field + a river). In her evaluation, she called Hydro-Québec to know how much it would cost to bring electricity in from the closest road to the house location. Results : 26k$.

That was the big problem, along with building a new road and digging a puit at this location. However, as a combative person, she doesn’t give up. She wants me to find an alternative way to energize the house… because I am studying in electrical engineering. I thought of wind mills because of the superficy and relative low power consumption of the house, but much work still have to be done. For now, we concentrate on our daily activities. The story must be continued…

I wanted to work on my document tonight, but I guess it will go to tomorrow.

Certainly, a university is an institution, and as such is a guardian of “dogma,” a protector of the “fortress of certitudes” which many people feel they need to be comfortable - in essence, a reduction of reality to something that we feel is manageable.

It is probably true that you will find more openness, daring and spirit of adventure in the dark recesses of society, rather than among the members of the establishment, albeit one should be careful of generalizations… there are always exceptions, as I’m sure you know, and it is a good thing too!

Be that as it may, I am certain that society advances through its fringe, thanks to all those people with “open heart and mind” that you met, while so many “respectable members of society” waste away with trivial concerns such as material wealth and the thickness of their resumes…

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.”

I think that if you are a true artist or scientist motivated by the joy of discovery, you are necessarily in awe at the beauty and sacredness of the natural world. The awareness of this true beauty, combined with the knowledge that we are all deeply connected, creates a profound compassion which should prevent that person, fearless as he / she might be, from committing serious negative acts…

Thank you for posting and for providing many links of interest.

The Iroquois longhouse is a specific example of the vernacular architectural wisdom which I mention in the main post. I guess one of my points is that the right way of doing things, the “Tao of shelter,” from a higher perspective involves rediscovering such ancient building wisdom and combining it with cutting edge modern techniques (such as geodesic construction) while maximizing the use of local material materials and minimizing the use of high-embodied-energy materials (such as metal).

You are right to state that curved homes don’t necessarily have to be domes. Aside from the fact that the shapes might be more organic, and therefore more psychologically pleasing, the important aspect to remember is that curves are inherently more structurally robust than square geometry. Aerodynamics is a bonus, since it minimizes heat losses through convection.

That bioclimatic link is indeed a very good introduction to the topic, proving that the knowledge is out there - its just disappointing to see that we rarely take it into account!

I think what you are pondering is feasible… As far as the footing goes, I would recommend using posts that descend deep into the soil to support the dome and its floor at a certain height above the sand. This is a very cheap way to do it, post footings are known to be earthquake-proof, and the whole house is safe from the motion of sand and / or ocean. And, since, the footing is so simple and inexpensive, you can easily move the house to another location in the case of erosion and / or a rise in the water level (a likely occurence in coming years).

Given a geodesic structure, the same materials used for a conventional house can be applied, at a lesser cost given the inherent efficiency of the dome. Vegetal materials (wood, bamboo) should not be disdained since they can be strong, flexible, light, and surprisingly resistant to humidity if used in the right way. Earth-based materials are interesting, but I would avoid using them for the structure itself because of the weight. Natural earth plaster, as you suggest, seems like a good idea, although one would have to make sure that the plaster can breathe (no hermetic paint) to ensure that moisture does not get trapped inside. With proper air circulation (either forced or naturally induced) inside the house, I believe that this is a feasible option even in humid weather.

For the maximum in hurricane-proof construction, consider the monolithic dome. It does, however, require the use of concrete; a not so sustainable material with a high energy cost. But given the solidity and the extremely long life of the resulting structure, it may be an acceptable tradeoff.

I wish you good luck in your house project - it is important to dream and to hold the vision, since such a project is not only good for your quality of life, it is an affirmation of positive change for the planet, a message that you send through example!

Over 400 years ago, Iroquois longhouse, did the job right. Of course, it would have to be modernized to include many separated rooms to fit todays needs..
http://jacquescartier.org/grands-projets/gifs/seminaire-sherbr.jpg
From http://jacquescartier.org/grands-projets/entree.html

It also has the obvious advantage of being able to support northern weather, of both winter and summer, with things found naturally, locally, and without much transformation.

More seriously:
http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Facility/8776/Pag03I.htm
shows bioclimatic architectures, and it’s very well explained for everyone, with pictures and examples.

What is written here is true indeed, however, as a member of an educational establishment such as an university, this is far away to be conceived as necessary, this walls are thick as the minds of the people leading it. However all occidental moral conceptions can be forgotten by some and these leads to openness and creation. I have had very interesting scientific and art conversations with photographers, painters, bus drivers, homeless, kids and occasionally nude-performers (theater)… they all had an open heart and an open mind. I often try to talk to my colleagues about seeing the “big picture” (holistic view as you put it) but their mind is off trying to figure out what job they’ll be able to get so they can move to a larger flat.

The diffusion of the ideas is almost as important as their content.

An artist doesn’t differ that much from a scientist, they are both observers and interpreters, the true ones will dwell on the unknown for they have a physical need for it. They choose not to be afraid; however, a person without fear is a dangerous person for her/his capabilities are unbounded, one can only hope that person had a proper upbringing.