The most time consuming portion thus far has
been researching building styles and developing a house plan that is
affordable, eco-friendly, hurricane resistant, and sustainable for the next
50 years or so (God willing). We wanted to incorporate the use of
renewable energy sources and low maintenance building materials into a design
that would not only utilize natural cooling methods, but would also
accommodate any future accessibility needs we or friends might require.
Below are some of those we considered:
Earthship
Biotecture
The earthship is a self-contained dwelling
that makes use of recyclable materials for its construction.
Although quite labor intensive, the materials cost is surprisingly low.
The above design takes advantage of the
properties of thermal mass and the earth's relatively consistent ground
temperature to heat and cool, other designs rely on surface/volume ratios to
keep interior building temperatures at a comfortable level. Additionally,
geodesic design generally uses less materials than traditional wood frame
housing for the same square footage.
Monolithic
Dome Institute A monolithic dome is a thin-shelled
round structure that is steel reinforced and constructed with the aid of an
airform. Not only are they very strong, but also super-insulated.
Good Karma Domes
James specializes in wooden panelized geodesic dome kits at very reasonable
prices. He also will supply drawing specs for any size dome if you prefer to
fabricate on your own.
American
Ingenuity American Ingenuity dome panels are
triangles comprised of concrete, reinforced steel, and
polystyrene. One joins the panels, then seals the joints with a treated
concrete.
Topsider
Homes are prefabricated octagonal homes that
use a post and beam style of construction. There are designed to withstand
high winds and storm surges.
Covintec
is a rectangular panelized product originating from Veracruz, Mexico. It is
similar in makeup in it's completed form to the AI dome panels, but all
mortar is applied by hand on site after assembly and reinforcement of the
structure. Because this product can be cut to just about any desired shape,
this product allows for intricate designs with relative ease. The picture to
the left is of a home comprised of Covintec in Consejo village.
To learn more about this product, click here:
Covintec
