What do you think the house of the future looks like?
As the twin suns set in the harsh desert plant of Tatooine, Luke Skywalker looks out to the horizon with two domed houses captured in the frame.
George Lucas envisioned a sci-fi house made of mud and domed shapes to endure the desert heat of the planet.
Once upon a time, one of the most iconic Hollywood villains, Darth Vader, lived in such a house.
This is not that house- it’s better.
This house isn’t a product of dreams anymore.
It’s a beautiful reality.
In Sedona, Arizona, a couple made this vision into a reality when they erected a dome house of their own.
Their home became an icon in their neighborhood’s skyline where people all over the place watched when it was being built.
Laura and Paul’s house is made of interconnected concrete domes.
Collectively, they’re huge.
The area is around 6,000 square feet and boasts different amenities. But the charm of the house is only as good as the engineering marvel done to achieve it.
The contractor boasted that the house can be completed in just a few days with less than half the price of a typical house built of this magnitude.
From balloons to dome homes
We usually think that houses are made of bricks, wood, and concrete, this home used a balloon. They fabricated inflatable domes to the specifications of the floor plan.
Then, they pumped air into these domes until they were strong and rigid enough to hold the foam layer.
The foam is then sprayed and the balloons were covered in about six inches of said foam.
Then, they placed the rebars into interlocking shapes to strengthen the whole structure before spraying the domes with concrete.
They are left with a series of domes with connected passageways.
A glimpse of future housing?
The contractors and the couple shared that this can be a good and efficient way to build houses in the future if domed houses become mainstream.
The contractor also shared that the house is well insulated and that you can significantly save costs on heating and cooling.
To save electricity, the dome tops are also equipped with transparent domes to fill the structures with natural light.
Sharing with the world
The couple wanted to share with the people what it was like to live in a house like this.
They are the only ones living in the house that they deem too big for both of them so they listed their property on Airbnb.
The home has several bed spaces and is offering beds from single bunks to king-sized beds.
They can also spend time and hang out in the biggest dome where amenities like musical instruments and reading materials are provided.
Primitive in shape, pragmatic in life
The couple also draws inspiration from the primitive stability of a circular structure.
They pointed out that mankind’s first shelters were circular.
This kind of shelter, inadvertently, promotes connection as people living in the dome can see each other in all directions.
It also promotes sharing and conversations which are also featured in the property’s enclosed courtyard.
No matter the inspiration, however, we can all agree that this is a house worth checking out.
See this dome home take shape and tour the interior in the video below!
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