INSPIRED by a vision to create a sustainable and healthy home and way of life for their family, Benjamin and Ingrid Marie Hertefolger have built a unique all-natural house completely covered by a glass dome, on a plot of land on Norway’s Sandhorney island, in the Arctic Circle.

    The Hertefolger knew they wanted to live in an eco-home made of only natural materials — cob (a mixture of sand, clay and straw), wood and glass — but also that it had to withstand the harsh weather conditions of the Arctic Circle. Aware of the robust properties of geodesic domes, they contacted Solardome Industries about a bespoke dome to cover their new house. It had to withstand the heavy snowfalls common to Northern Norway, maintain a uniform temperature throughout the year, reduce ultraviolet radiation, minimize maintenance and act as a greenhouse for the family’s organic vegetable and fruit garden.

    It was quite a challenge, but one Solardome Industries gladly accepted. After all it was the perfect opportunity to really test their solardome pro technology — a scalable architectural system that allows custom design and manufacturing of geodesic domes between 8 and 25 meters in diameter. The Hertefolger’ project took just three weeks to be built on site, as a protective shield around their house and garden. With no deep foundations required, it has a very low impact on the environment, which is exactly what Benjamin and Ingrid always wanted.

    (SD-Agencies)