Earthbag Peace Dome
Specifications: 19’ interior diameter, 283 sq. ft. interior main floor, 169 sq. ft. (16’ diameter) bedroom loft, total = 452 sq. ft. interior, 1 bath, Footprint: 22′ diameter
Description: How do you bring about the change you want to see? Live in harmony with earth and contribute to world peace.
Here is a simple dome anyone can build. This single dome contains all of the necessities for habitation. In addition to the basics, you could incorporate solar hot water, greywater recycling, composting toilet (shown, although a flush toilet can be used) to further reduce your ecological footprint. There are hot/cold, wet/dry climate design options available.
Earthbag Peace Dome South Elevation
Earthbag House Plans 
Oops. Forgot the upper kitchen cabinets.
thiz stuff iz really kol keep up the good job!!! : ]
i want to build an earth house, and love the peace dome, but have some concerns because of where i live—galveston, tx. the summers are very hot and sometimes almost 100% humdity for days on end. would an earth house work well here? i was wanting to have dirt berms (possibly completely covered) to help with the heat. the other problem is flooding. my street is a bit low and the land as it is holds water quite well. any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks.
No problem with building with earth if you build correctly. Add a roof like one of these designs: http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/projects/kentucky.htm, http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/pdf/dome.pdf. Minimize overhang to reduce risk of wind damage. (Kentucky Dome Home would be my choice, minus the tower.) Use gravel-filled bags on lower courses. Raise the building site with road base. Raise the floor inside the house by adding road base. Add shutters for protection during hurricanes. Best to stabilize soil in all bags for added strength and to prevent moisture problems in case of a leak.
Just a little extra work will give you a much better, safer home.
How can I get blueprints or at least more pictures of the Peace Dome?
All plans are available through DreamGreenHomes.com at very low cost.
Hi, Owen, I really admire your work and find it inspiring. As I am planning to build one of these in the wilderness for myself and leave the monetary system world, I have a question regarding the uprising of the dome. At what distance inward do you place the upper row of bags on the lower? To me this seems to be one of the important questions on the dome safety. Perhaps there is a secret formula for this inclination, so the dome does not fall in under its’ weight? I suppose you would ask for the bag size before answering but, please, give me an answer for any bag size, dome interior diameter and dome height of your choice or, let’s say, for the Peace Dome, so I could be able to get the proportion between these three details right. In fact, I’m planning to base my calculations on an internal dome radius of 3,14 meters (Pi), which means it will be just a little bigger than the Peace Dome. Thank you very much in advance and keep inspiring us!
Krasimir Kostadinov, Bulgaria
I explain this in the building specifications that come with the plans. There are three common dome building methods. The easiest is Kelly Hart’s method, which you can read for free here: http://earthbagbuilding.com/articles/riceland.htm