emiliaorbita's blog: Bonita Dome, Joshua Tree

Lisa Starr is an artist and drum medicine, she purchased a land in Joshua Tree, California, USA not too far from the coast.

Lisa Starr decided to build a dome in accordance with an Iranian Architect Nader Khalili’s affordable and disaster resilient superadobe metholody.

In achieving this ideas (building) she had to recruit volunteers and CalEarth alumni, to be first work on a few practice domes that eventually evolved into the “village” which is resort place.

In providing the building with thermal mass to keep it cool during the summer and warm during the winter; the wall thickness is 18” and comprises of 15% cement and 85% earth according to Lisa Facebook page.

To keep the space warm at night during winter, tealight heaters are used. Lisa sourced 75% of the material she used in her dome structure from her own land.

an earth home shower.

The village includes two 8feet “sleep pod earth dome” structures with storage of a cave-like space for a child to sleep in. In each of the pod have a full mattress, bedding and solar powered ceiling light. This can accommodate up to a family of four.