Re: Re: Domes
From: Jock Coats (jock.coatsoxfordlibdems.org.uk)
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2002 17:01:01 -0600 (MDT)
Anne Jackson wrote:

The Geodesic Home at Rosewind looks truly elegant, and the comments about
such homes are cogent. I was thinking of the www.MonolithicDomeHomes  based
in Texas. They use a totally different technology. They have been used for
the homeless in L.A. and the poor in India, as well as for very expensive
projects.  A small, one-bedroom place can be built for $45,000.

Instead of handcrafting with wood, the dome is made of polystyrene, sprayed
over a form which is blown up like a balloon. They are steel reinforced. The
thickness, and the penetration into cracks and crevices make it very energy
efficient. It resists fire and wind. Utility costs are about half and fire
insurance is less, according to the promoters. Someday I would like to see
one. Meanwhile, this weekend I will visit my first Earthship home.
Oooh! Where are you going to see the Earthship, you lucky thing? Just the fact that we can be creative with so much trash in a way which then makes as little impact on the planet as possible and yet returns a wonderful living environment that anyone in a dedisgn and build developer estate house would dream of I love!

We have only one example that I know of in England and that is a small resource centre going up near Brighton on the south coast - so not even a house. I understand there are one or two other attempts in the Scottish islands, but I'd really love to get a scheme going with them just to prove the concept to people here.

I'm not sure that I warm too much to the idea of foam and polystyrene. It seems somehow less sustainable when earthships are using second hand rubber and petroleum products that would otherwise pollute. But they do look interesting.

The other thing I'd really like to see is a proper 'earth sheltered' house. You know - kind of like a hobbit hole.

Jock



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+  Jock Coats, Oxford Liberal Democrats, M3a Morrell Hall, OX3 0TU  +
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