geoship's bioceramic domes for the homeless could last 500 years

geoship, a company that creates transformational earth-friendly homes, aims to dramatically alter the housing market. the firm is proposing the creation of domes for social housing that are affordable, energy sufficient, fire and disaster resilient, and extremely long-lasting — with a potential lifespan of more than 500 years. geoship is launching a ‘profit-for-all cooperative program’ to transcend homelessness across the US. starting with the state of nevada, the company’s strategy combines regenerative architecture, village building, and a new work paradigm.

all images courtesy of geoship

‘we build transitional villages that embody powerful urban design principles — to strengthen the original agreements humans formed in the villages where we first came together — cooperation, community, and creativity,’ says geoship. ‘homelessness, addiction, trauma, inequality, climate change, chronic disease, and loneliness are all woven into the fabric of modern society. thus, our solution lies in a new and ancient paradigm. one based upon building strong healthy relationships with ourselves, our communities, and the natural world.’

the precast geodesic domes are made using chemically bonded ceramic composites. these bioceramic building panels can be produced rapidly with high quality and low cost. impressively, the all-ceramic composite homes have a design life of 500 years, are capable of integrating with local ecosystems, optimize health, maximize energy efficiency, and have the potential to revolutionize housing affordability.

these domes would then form a ‘transitional village’, a retreat away from the high intensity city environment where residents can reconnect with community and the natural world. ‘it’s a cultural place of self-stabilizing and self-regulating patterns,’ explains the behind the project. ‘a place where a person can learn more about what it means to be a participant, engaged in a big picture that includes them.’ the plans are based on the self-help village-building model developed by the city repair project, an organization that educates communities and individuals to creatively transform the places where they live.

each transitional village will include 40-80 resident members, with homeless communities fully engaged throughout the process. it is imagined that the villages may be adjacent to one another enabling a combination of long-term supportive housing, short-term supportive housing, and permanent housing. built outside the city grid system with community-centric design principles, each village is self-managed by the members, with some outside assistance. it is hoped that the village will inspire and uplift its members, while providing a sense of place and belonging.

in order to produce as many domes as needed, a ceramic precast plant will be constructed near the village. as affordable regenerative homes are sold on the market, transitional homes are donated to the village. ‘the transitional village can grow fast with an ecological action plan and community-based processes,’ explains the team. ‘transitional residents become engaged in active participation, learning skills for jobs with evolutionary purpose in the regenerative economy.’

responding to research that shows that every time the size of a city doubles productivity per resident goes up, but the exact opposite thing happens in organizations, the project proposes a new work paradigm. ‘the secret ingredient is ‘communitas’,’ says geoship. ‘in communitas we are all peers. this distribution of power creates enormous motivation and energy. transitional villagers list the ‘menu of services’ they can provide. jobs and micro-enterprises are created to utilize the skills and passions of people, and connect them with market opportunities.’

‘problems and opportunities are two sides of the same coin,’ says geoship. ‘of course we propose a self-help model to end homelessness, because all solutions to all problems reside in participation and engagement in community with each other. we also propose a true village model and profit-for- all business model to integrate all functions of daily life at a local scale, because when numerous challenges are brought together they can be met together.’