C13 — Biodome Homesteading: A Community-Based Open-Source Subsistence Homesteading Platform

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In the face of increasing climate migrant and refugee numbers, it is time for us to embark on a an “open source” subsistence homesteading project forhumanity on a global scale like projects created by the United States Department of Agriculture during the Great Depression. A key missing element forthat project is the infrastructure to make efficient use of the scarce energy, water, and nutrients available to humanity. This paper proposes the use oftensegrity principles introduced by Buckminster Fuller and recent advances in automated mass manufacturing of custom products to design and buildcommunity based biodomes on a mass scale. These community biodomes could be designed for use as individual family units or community “Longhouses”in the spirit of the Iroquois who inspired many of the elements of American Democracy. The Biodome Homesteading Platform is a fundamental rethinkingof the built environment that puts people and communities first with minimal material using tensegrity principles and at its core provides four basicand fundamental functions: 1) a semi-closed system hydrological cycle to efficiently provide clean water, 2) a shelter for people, plants and animals to protectfrom extreme heat, winds, rains, diseases and pests or predators, 3) a transparent roof that allows the ingress of solar insolation for food production, and4) a climate control system that regulates the temperature and humidity for comfort and food production . A cluster of community based biodomes couldallow for the sharing of farm, homestead and handcraft activities through micro-enterprises and could conceivably relegate vehicular transportation to astrictly leisure, freight, or medical emergency activity. This paper focuses on the technical aspects of the design of a structure that might enable this platformacknowledging that getting the built environment optimized would open many doors for human and societal development.

Product Details

Published:

2022

Number of Pages:

9

Units of Measure:

Dual

File Size:

1 file , 1.4 MB

Product Code(s):

D-ICEB22-13

Note:

This product is unavailable in Russia, Belarus