[Cob] earth brick dome home/superadobe beehive dome

[Charmaine Taylor]

you mentioned "a 10 foot circular  mud hut with a dome roof (also mud)".
I am curious. How would that work?
+++++++++++++

There is a great book by Nader Khalili (rip) which is all about the
Iranian and middle eastern domes and  shaped earthen buildings that
have all mud bricks.
 This book does NOT address his Superadobe earthen bag/sack
construction. BUT  that method can be used to make a 'beehive" shaped
house that  the long bags are sloped over full( round or peaked, even
square) windows, and  also rise up from 5' shoulder height to a
conical pointy roof, all bags going around in a circle.  He has a
quick "emergency earthbag video that shows with just bags, dirt and a
brick or two ( for pounding the bags) a shovel, cans,   a few people
can build, in a day,  a 10' dome shelter with a door, and maybe a
window in  areas with no wood avail.

Of course his Superadobe method requires FAR less engineering  and
skill than  making mud bricks and  placing them expertly into a cone
so they support their own weight.   of course full regular homes are
built this way too, there are plans, and a book/video/dvd avail.  see
the www.okokok.com website for Kakai Hunter

Of course cob plaster can go over the walls of any type dome, maybe
not metal tho <grin>

lastly  in my research for "Ancient Dwellings" (a booklet on earth,
cob shelters)  the old old style thatch or reed roofs in UK  N. Europe
were coated  afterwards with lots of rivermud, not pretty, and really
looked like "mud homes", but the deep clay content of the mud, and an
ANGLED roof to shed rain made for a dry home inside.  You -today-could
also build shed style roof on posts, with the dome of brick or bag,
underneath built all the way up to the  roof underside, and forget the
'bricks over your head' risk, and labor. One of the most impressive
and beautiful roofs I have ever seen is over a French cob home--
extends far past the cob walls as a  full shelter over them, and
allows light, by design to the upper story. just stunning.

And in Germany some of the smartest precivilized dwellings were dug
down deep into the ground, then only a short roof/wall covering was
needed, again thatch and mud, it saved a great deal on  work, kept to
the safer warmth of the earth, and stayed more comfortable in
winters,( furs were laid into deeper 'sleep ruts' used as beds and
the whole thing blended into the landscape, against enemies.  Because,
in the very  'olden' times  walls were the hardest thing to build,  so
 after caves and natural enclosures, a man built lean-to type
structure  came first, followed by wattle 'draft' skirting around a
dug-down enclosure.

but for the old style method as you asked:

Ceramic Houses and Earth Architecture
How to Build Your Own   by Nader Khalili
Khalili's classic, authoritative manual describes how to build arches,
domes, and vaults with earth, as well as techniques to fire and glaze
earth buildings to transform them into ceramic houses. This newly
revised edition also provides insight into the latest response by
building officials to Superadobe or earthbag technology (structures of
sandbags and barbed wire), a patented system that is free for the
owner-builder and licensed for commercial use.

Nader Khalili's ideas on ceramic houses and earth architecture have
been published by NASA and utilized by the United Nations, and have
passed building and safety tests in California. This new edition is
now in its fifth printing.


About the Author
Nader Khalili
Nader Khalili, an Iranian-born California architect and author, is the
designer and innovator of the Geltaftan Earth-and-Fire System known as
"ceramic houses" as well as the Superadobe building technologies. He
received his education in Iran, Turkey, and the United States,
-- 
Charmaine Taylor Publishing & Elk RIver Press

http://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com< under new ownership