GENIUS ECODOMUS

is an association committed to spread clay architecture practice with always the same strong environmental issues : earth architecture heritage protection, education, natural conservation area and reforestation projects [email protected]

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The ecodome in Senegal is built, standing on its foundations and overlooking Florikunda. Thanks again to our great team of natural builders who came especially for the event & who spread so much energie and love : Choumie, Mama Sté, Loïc, Dav, Suka, Élo, Olivier, Am’s, Auguste, Gilbert, Richard. Thank you Gregoire, without who we would never built this project and live this incredible experience.

Djeredjef Papa Kéba, fabulous host, Doctor Fatou, Karfa, Adama, Sherif Kebir and his family, DjiDji, Marie Claude, Radija, Aïcha, Jean-Pierre, Eliane, Madame Coly, Bernadette, Agnès, Momo, Bella, Ro and of course Caporal and supa pick up of hell. Thanks to these guys who helped us, in them own kind way : Thomas, Octavio, Odette and her husband, Mr Cissoko and his water filter, Escale shops, young Ben, The Perroquet in Ziguinchor, and a big love to the family of Badou in Dakar… The adventure continues for us, inch’allah, with other new and beautiful projects in Casamance. See you soon !!

NIOKOBOK & PEACE & MUD

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An octogram crowns the dome. The eight-pointed star points to the 8 cardinal points. Each branch represents a virtue. The heart represents the beginning, the origin of all things. From the heart, the 8 values ​​point to the outside, the future. The Northern branch is Hope. Hope to live, to survive, for those who do not flinch. The Southern branch is Peace. Peace between mortals, imperfect beings, but also peace in oneself. The West branch is Will. The strength of the soul to always continue, despite the adversity. The East branch is Love. The love we feel for our loved ones, which makes our hearts and souls beat. The North East branch is Devotion. Devotion to our responsibilities and our duties. Never demerit. The South East branch is Empathy. Empathy that drives us to understand and love the beings who appear to us as different and foreign. The South West branch is Nobility. This state that drives us to stay close to the moral force and not to faint. The North West branch is Courage. The Courage to face the problems with both hands despite the danger.

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During 2 intensive weeks in November 2019, a team of 12 natural builders built a superadobe ecodome in Senegal, South Casamance, in Djibelor neighbourhood. French architect Rebecca Pelayo responded to a private order and designed this project as a local artist residence.   The dome is 88 inches radius for a total area of 172 sq ft and 13 ft high, it requires 0,6 miles of PP bags (1km) and 30 tons of red earth coming from clay termitaries.

The bags were filled with clay soil. The formwork was made in wood structure and sandbag for the vaults.

The success of this human & architectural adventure reinforces the involvement of the Genius Ecodomus team towards new projects in Casamance with high environmental value. 

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[geniusecodomus]

Earth architecture is a fabulous, infinite and playful building process.

It powerful creativity must outdo the antipathy against this natural material. It is unfair ! Let's enter warmth in our house, let's celebrate texture and curves.

Here our small 60 meter square manifesto for more earthy - archi - poetry ...

[geniusecodomus]

[geniusecodomus]

[geniusecodomus]

h a p p y     3     y e a r s

We celebrated the 3 years birthday of the first ecodom in Madagascar Island. 3 years of heavy rainfall, earthquakes and ant attacks. During 3 years since the construction, we tested different types of coating to finally reach a very interesting result in terms of solidity, economy and with a ZERO cement spirit. A roof is still remaining the ideal solution in this type of tropical climate. BUT, the ecodom has the merit of being alive, he is adapting to his environment and he is creating a link between the visitors and those who maintain it so valiantly. What an exciting adventure so far. We wish all those who are embarking on the construction of this UFO which is the superadobe to learn, to share, to have fun and to go through your choices. PEACE & MUD

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[geniusecodomus]

h u z z a h ! !

Here is an estimate cost of the ecodome. This encrypted inventory was voluntarily conducted 20 months after the construction’s end. 20 months and two rainy seasons later, some changes were made primarily such as coatings which were updated, or vents which were reshaped. The estimate cost takes into account these two recoveries and represents a basis on which you can rely to calculate your own cost project.

Prices are in Euros.

Suppliers are located in the region of ‘Hauts Plateaux’ from Ampefy to Antananarivo and with the surrounding villages Analavory, Miarinarivo, Soavinandriana.

Do not hesitate to contact us if needed

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[geniusecodomus]

[geniusecodomus]

The first ecodome in Madagascar is built, standing on its foundations and overlooking the Fanantenana plot. Thanks again to our great team who came especially for the event & who has endured the easiest and the hardest times : Emilie, Arthur, Olivier, Fidelis, Franck, Olivier, Rado Be, Arthur of Manakara, the Poupou Kenny & Anne laure, Sebastien, Roger, the two Jean-Michel, Samy, Mahefy, our 4 guys who mixed and dug the earth so valiantly, Bera, his deliverymen and the zebus. Thanks to the organizers Rebecca Pelayo & Frederic des Brosses, the costly assistance of Tahina, Vivianne and Lisy, the hospitality of Patricia & the vivacity of Hannibal. Thanks to these guys who helped us, sometimes briefly during their passage : Eliane, Voahirana, Eric, Narindra, Mamabé and Nono, Désiré & Patricia, Odile, Leo, Attila, Volker ... Sorry if we forgot someone ....  big hug to you ! The adventure continues for those who will build their own Ecodome and the adventure ends for the others. As for us, we still have a lot of work : electricity, plumbing, furniture, interior decoration, plastering, landscaping, terrace, carpentry ... So stay tuned for the next stages !

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The ecodome is about to end. The 4 drypacks are there and the polyane fiber is completed, it seals the first 4 bags. Contrary to the initial project, the springline rises to 80cm high, that’s why we must strengthen the two doors with a buttress. The mixture is composed of 20% cement to consolidate the stem wall but also the lintels and the keystone. At the level where the buttress disappear, we reduce the amount of binder for a lighter mixture : 40% earth + 60% pumice (60% big size + 40% small size), with zero cement. We  decide on the arc shape … The result stunned the whole team, which until now was quite dubious about the strength of this architectural detail, which by the way exist since antic times ! The small dome closes on Saturday, May 3, with 42 rows of bags. Elevation of the scaffolding of the large dome : 3m30 + 6 vents : 3m50. The large dome closes on Tuesday, May 6, with a total of 54 rows of bags. We proceed to the Kabary ritual, thanking the ancestors who accept that we use the earth and we pour rum as an offering. Soon we begin coatings and interior finishes.

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It's time to think about rain season, drain and moisture.

There are several alternative to waterproof an ecodome (or a house) and to avoid capillary rise. We had such long argumentations and never-ending talks about drainage and finally we decided to use a 9 cm pipe for carrying off rainwater, plentiful during 5 months (november to march).

The drain is laying down on 20 cm gravel with a slight slope that drains rainwater into a 1 cubic meter sump. Then, when it's done, we are ready to implement the first bag walls, the super adobe technique :)

In our first workshop with Earth Hands and Houses, we learned how to use hazel stakes to wedge the bags . But here, because the seismic region, we unroll 2 rows of barbed wire on the anti-UV polypropylene bags (40cm width).     

The team is strarting to fill the first rows of bags.

The dry pack are ready, 2 doors and 2 windows.

Everything goes well under the malagasy sun.

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Here the first pictures of the workshop standing in Ampefy, Madagascar Island. Here we are, let's start to build our ecodome ! Ready to learn ?! First of all, it is very important to know the characteristic of the land where we build, and to familiarize with the local resources and the nature of the soil. Here we have a soil composed of 20% of clay (which seems good for the cohesion for the final mixture). We tried several tests and the perfect blend was : 60% pumice (40% big size & 20 % small size) + 20% earth + 20% binder (cement) + 10% water for the foundation, the stem wall and the buttress. We will use another percentage for the walls. Near our site, mother nature provide us a lot of pumice (volcanic area), red laterite, straw, bamboo, zebu dung and banana tree. We started by drawing the 2 circles areas for the foundations : 5m diameter and 4m diameter, a total of 30 meter square, with a 5 meter ridgepole for the higher dome.

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The workshop is completed and the construction of our Ecodome is over! Again a special and a warm thank you to Adeline Bartoletti, Daniel Dube, Gabatcha Association, Larnoufe Vanschtraffer, Ben & Mina, Romingo Delacaravane, Vadim Foing, Julien Pernin, Nicole Pernin, Girardon Chantal, Evelyne Pierillas, Lino Gomes Alves, Carine Lesage, Julien Chupin, Alexia Massaro, Pierre Masci, Frederic Nguyen, Emilie Taurand, Sabine Tostain, Anne Miller, Anais Huchard, Solés Corazon, Maximilian Girard, Herve des Brosses, Franck Bataille, Mamabe, Fatima Yahya, Amaxi, Corceau Ericka, Kenny & Anne Laure and Jacques de Fleury.