http://www.viralnova.com/dream-dome-home-thailand/

This is awesome!

WOW!!!! Living the DREAM!

I want to make something like that one day. But if he was really hardcore he'd go plumbing and electricity free or at least use renewable energy sources.

I think plumbing is fine, just have a raised water still and let gravity be the pump. Solar would be cool to heat and also for the electrical. Electricity was discovered, not invented, so i see it as natural. But that house is incredible and beyond aesthetically pleasing!

The only thing that it's missing is a dungeonous area for use as a laboratory/workspace. Am I the only one who likes to at least sometimes work in a dark closed off space?

I'm with you on that one!!

Ever since I was a kid and drooled over my big brother's Roger Dean (Yes album covers,etc: ) art books with his spray foam organic shape house structures, I've wanted to have a place with no corners.

I'm jealous of thus guy, too. Now, if he had it way up in a tree? Now that would be the epitome of awesome!

This is great, now for my case, I wonder about heating something like this, and keeping it heated.

I feel like something like a hobbit hole would do nicely. The temperature of the ground should keep the heat relatively stable.

Anyways this is sweet.

Build it in Thailand (or subequatorial asia)...no heat probs

Failing that...pot belly stove.

(new project for Goan pension plan)

So I guess I am wondering if buildings made out of materials like clay are able to withstand heat fluctuations from heating and cooling, or from having something like a potbelly stove. I am just thinking the temperature where I am ranges from -20 to over 100F throughout the year.

I very much want to build something like this on my land. But it has to withstand cold, while being heated.

Not only would the infrastructure need to be impervious to the cold, but it would also have to obviously be a lot more closed off to be able to keep heat in. It's easy (and probably desirable) to keep that house open and breezy in a tropical climate.

Earthen materials have been used to create structures for thousands of years and in essentially all climates. Adobe was the building material of choice for many indigenous North American peoples living in the desert. Deserts can have diurnal temperature fluctuations of over 60 F. So you should be fine if you live in a temperate climate.

Earthen materials have a relatively high heat capacity so thick earthen walls can have high thermal mass. This means that in the day, the earthen material will impede heat flow into the structure while at night it will radiate heat that was accumulated during the day. This provides protection against drastic temperature changes in the material and keeps the temperature in the house moderate.

Cool, thanks for the replies, guess i need to experiment some see what materials are best in my locale for this.

thanks for the link universecannon

does anyone know where in thailand this guy is or how to contact him?

I am currently coating the inside walls of my house with a 10cm thick mix of local clay/soil mixed with straw, for added insulation in winter. With a finishing layer of lime. I have had no problems with the changing seasons. Where i live we get hot summers (upto 90 degrees) and cold winters (down to -12 last year). It hasnt fallen to bits.....yet.

The only thing that I'd worry about here is the potential for microbial or fungal growth on the straw. This could create gas and change the volume and integrity of the materials in various ways. This will be dependent on the moisture content of the clay and straw though. Freeze/thaw could also be a problem if the material gets cold enough to freeze.

But if you don't mind having to redo your work every so often, then you should have no problem. And microbial growth might not even be much of problem.

The clay and straw is mixed in an old bath with water until it reaches the correct consistency to be wet enough to be malleable while still being able to stick to the walls. It is then applied in layers of around 3cm and left to dry for around about a month (or more dependant on the weather) before applying the next layer. The straw/clay mix cannot be left in its mixing container for any more than a couple of days due to the microbial growth that you mentioned but if left to dry in the correct manner it is good for the duration. I don"t think it will freeze as it on the inside of 2 foot thick stone walls. I have seen exterior work that has withstood the extremes of the changing seasons.

link for video on application of render (torchis)



I won"t be redoing it. It is a very messy and harrowing job and it made my place look like a scene from the battle of the Somme. Having said that i did do it arse about face. I should have rendered the walls before putting my floor and furniture in.

^I'm just curious, did you happen to try to get a sense of how well you can keep your house heated without the added clay/straw coating? It would be interesting to be able to compare how efficiently you can heat your house with and without the coating.

My house was very very cold without. It is quite large and open plan. I have a wood burning stove (that is not very efficient) and it would have taken 20 cubic metres of good seasoned hardwood with the fire lit 24 hours a day to maintain a comfortable temperature. I probably burn about 5 cubic metres of collected driftwood and windfall per year over the last 4 years. I compensate with extra clothes and take less baths in order to build up a protective layer of body grease.

I cannot say for sure how much of an improvement the render has made as it is not finished and we have had a mild winter this year. I also need to finish insulating the roof.