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ECO-DOME STRUCTURES , HESPERI A, CLAIFORNIA – NADER

KHALILI

Client: California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture

Location: Hesperia, California
Architect: Nader Khalili
Completed: 1996

The following case study is of a project that was conducted by the California Institute of
Earth Art and Architecture. The project calls for making a building with the main material
being the earth from the ground. These structures can be used for a small emergency
shelter, guest house, or even studio apartment as long as the structure can meet codes.

The Eco-Dome home is approximately 400ft2 (40m2) and consists of a large central dome,
surrounded by four smaller niches and a wind scoop, in a clover leaf pattern. With this
pattern, the owner has the option to have the main room be the living room while the one of
the “clover leafs” is the entrance hall, and the rest of the leaves can either be bathrooms,
bedrooms or a kitchen. If need be, these structures could even tie into another to create an
eco village. Since the building is constructed with local earth-filled superadobe coil bags (this
includes cement and lime), the structures are completely tree free. A team of 3 to 5 people
are needed in order to create the structure and if factoring the sun, wind and shade correctly,
a passive cooling and heating system can be incorporated.

These structures can be ordered in the form of a kit and comes with a step-by-step DVD
“Eco-Dome, building a small home,” construction documents including specifications,
engineering calculations, title 24 energy calculations, unfilled Superadobe roll/earth-bags,
and an educational book on Superadobe construction entitled “Sandbag Shelter and Eco-
Village.” If you are interested in learning more about these kits, please check out the
CalEarth link, www.calearth.org/ProductsServices/products.html
Information provided by Richardson,
Phyllis, XS Small Structure Green
Architecture, p. 100, Univres
Publishing, 2007