1 Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

CONSTRUCTION OF A SUPERADOBE
DOME
Marco Aurelio López-Gómez a; Mª de las Nieves González-García b; Nuria Llauradó-Pérez c

a Universidad Politécnica de Madrid ([email protected]), b Dpto. Construcciones Arquitectónicas

y su Control, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (España, [email protected]), c Dpto. Tecnología de la
Edificación, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid ([email protected])

Abstract—Superadobe Technology consists on filling long polypropylene sacks with a moist mixture of clay, sand, gravel and
lime/cement; placing and compacting one on top of another forming concentric rings of decreasing radius and describing a double
curvature monolith.
From the 26th of August till the 6th of September of 2017, a group of 10 students at the “Domoterra” Institute of Earthbag
construction, in the province of Teruel, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain, participated in the construction of what would
become a Superadobe domed shelter of internal diameter 4m, roughly 3.5m high with the capacity to enclose 17.5m^2 of habitable
surface, using approximately 250m of polypropylene sack and 20 m³ of earth.

The structure advanced from an initial base cylinder of 0.5 m to the height of 2.1 m in 7 effective work days of 8 hours each day, and
such an experience is taken into account together with existing literature, to describe the construction process of a Superadobe dome.

Keywords— Superadobe;, Earth bag; dome; sustainability.

 machinery is needed), and even for being a self-built
INTRODUCTION technology, it has consistently exhibited good structural
behavior against natural events such as earthquakes, floods,
fire and high winds [1].
This, among other ‘green’ and self-built technologies, make
it possible to build culturally sensitive shelters from ecological
and accessible procedures and materials: adobe buildings, cob,
bags of earth, bales of straw, among other technologies, are
well known examples.
Even if these buildings have limited or no applications in
industrial areas, they have extensive applications in human
activity, specifically, as a solution for homelessness that
should be included in construction codes [2].
Since materials used in construction greatly impact on the
economy, the environment, and on the adaptability of society,
the influence that construction activity has on sustainable
development is paramount. Sustainable building materials:
those that are profitable, that are socially accepted and which
Fig. 1. Superadobe Structure. have a low environmental impact, are the focus of many
researches which now exist, which back-up and contribute to
the use of earth inside buildings [3]. Materials such as earth

T HE construction of natural structures as an alternative to

conventional houses has extended over recent years in
response to human and environmental crisis. Superadobe is a
bags, whose ratio of polypropilene – to earth in the building’s
total mass is small, produces considerably lower CO2
emissions, according to [4].
method for the construction of self-built shelters with the For thousands of years, materials such as adobe, hard soil and
potential for sustainably reducing the world's current housing cob have been used for shelter, and approximately 30% of the
deficit: It’s executable by common people, It’s economical world's population and 50% of the population of developing
(earth being the main material used and no heavy construction

M.A. López is a PhD student. He studies at Universidad Politécnica de M.N. González & N. Llauradó. Both authors are with Universidad
Madrid, Av. Juan de Herrera, 6, 28040 Madrid, SPAIN (e-mail: Politécnica de Madrid, Av. Juan de Herrera, 6, 28040 Madrid, SPAIN (e-mail:
[email protected]). He completed a master's degree at the Institute of [email protected], [email protected]).
Civil Engineering. Dept. of unique buildings and structures at Peter the Great
Polytechnic University of Saint Petersburg.
countries live in shelters of earth, and the concience for its use The behavior of the building through time depends
is expanding today. fundamentally on the adjustment of the correct proportions of
What folows is a description of how an earth quake-resistant, gravel, sand and clay, of the soil used in its construction.
earthen monolyth: a Superadobe dome of 17 m2 area and more We must first do several field tests at the foundation site and
than 3.5 m of height, can be constructed by a team of 10 at the extraction area, and we must do jar granulometric tests
students with little more than soil, a bunch of hand- tools, good and take mean values, making sure there are no important
will, and good guidance. granulometric variations from the different sources to be used.
A jar granulometric test is done by picking up soil without
THE PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTION OF A SUPERADOBE DOME remnants of organic matter from about 30 cm deep into the
A. materials and preparations ground, and introducing it in a jar of glass of known volume,
better square than cylindrical. Then, mixing its contents with
1) Tools needed
water and leaving it stand 3 days. If we add salt, the process
Among other virtues such as being a social potentiator, one accelerates: about 3 spoonful’s for a normal pot of chickpeas,
of the greatest virtues of Superadobe technology, is its relative for example.
accessibility: although training is necessary, it can be practiced To know the percentage of the granulometry, a ruler is used.
by all peoples given that the techniques are learned, among We measure on one side of the jar, the different lengths of layers
other reasons because hardly any heavy machinery or expensive
of stored earth, (the centimeters of clay, silt, sand, and gravel as
tools are required. The equipment that will be necessary for
they deposit with time and differentiate themselves in such
building a Superadobe dome includes comfortable/ resistant
layers). By doing this, we deduce the proportions in which each
clothes for work, cap, sunglasses, reinforced boots, work
gloves, impermeable gloves, a knife, and an indelible thick particle type is present in the soil of our site in a volumetric
marker: sense.
Besides this basic personal equipment, little more is needed: As we will read below, if we know the percentages (mean
pointed tip shovels, spades, pickaxes, wheelbarrows, and a percentages) of each particle type in our soil, then we can
concrete mixer with a suitable power supply if possible. Also, correct or fix these proportions (by adding specific types of
for the plaster, trowels can work but hawks are ideal. Finally particles to our mixer), in order to make a mixture which is ideal
"rammers" or “stompers”, which are used to strike filled for a Superadobe dome.
polypropylene sacks in order to compact the mixture inside of We look for 30% binding materials (20% clay and 10%
them. Anything heavy but manageable, with a flat striking a binding stabilizer) and 70% sandy soil (35% gravel and
surface will do the job. It may be necessary to make a tool of 35% sand). A rich variety of sandy soil particle sizes is
this type, according to Figure 2. desirable. The ideal binder, reinforcer or stabilizer, is lime.
2) Earth preparation and mixture Lime as a binder and stabilizer for the mixture, allows the
passage of the environmental humidity of a house and the dome
Domes in principle, are made with the sieved earth that is dug
"breathes". The phenomenon is known as breathability. These
to make the foundations, and also with that which accumulates
qualities of lime will eliminate the possibility of condensation
when cleaning the area of construction. This is the “base”
within the Superadobe walls. Lime also has the property of not
construction material; local seived soil. Yet additional soil from
letting rain water pass, hence turning our dome into a Natural
the site should be gathered and sieved, since a medium to big
Goretex.
dome could demand more quantity of earth. (A dome of four
Slaked lime comes from calcinating calcic rock, (its calcium
meters in diameter consumes about 20 m3, or roughly 30 tons
carbonate), CaCO3, and adding water to the resulting calcium
of soil.
oxide CaO, thus becoming Ca(OH)2. This is calcium hydroxide.
It is not recommended that fresh air lime Ca(OH) 2 be used
for construction (just watered live lime), as it is better to use air
lime which has been submerged in water for at least six months,
acquiring better properties for binding and hardening with time.
Hydraulic lime is the same lime but with pzzolans and ashes
that provide a more optimal qualities in low oxygen media and
humidity, which allows an optimal setting for the foundation.
It's much better (and also more expensive).

The reasoning used to prepare (or fix) the soil of our land
for Superadobe construction is as follows:
If we do a jar granulometric test on the soil of our site (or
many, and we take a mean result), and we obtain different mean
volumes, namely Cn, for different particles n, then we would
Fig. 2. Handmade Rammers. like to find what volume of each material n, namely Xn, we must
add to our land in order to obtain desired proportions, namely
𝑃𝑑𝑛 , of each material n, in the resulting mixture.
3 Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

esired proportions within the jar (getting an unknown final

𝐶𝑛 +𝑋𝑛
We can represent this by the set of equations = 𝑃𝑑𝑛 , volume of mixture 𝑉𝑓 ), will give us a valid approximation for
𝑉𝑓
what proportions of specific particle types should be added
, where 𝐶𝑛 is a known volume of particle type n within a given
to our local seived soil (Fig. 3) in the prepparation of the
mixture or sample, 𝑋𝑛 is an unknown volume of particle type n
mixture for the actual construction. To find these volumes
to be added to the given sample in order to obtain a desired
proportion of particle type n, 𝑃𝑑𝑛 , in an altered sample of final needed, we first find 𝑉𝑓 .
𝐶𝑛
volume 𝑉𝑓 . Manipulating each of these equations we find: Step 1: We calculate the maximum ratio , where 𝐶𝑛 is the
𝑃𝑑𝑛
given volume of particle n in our jar, and 𝑃𝑑𝑛 the desired
𝐶𝑛 1
𝑉𝑓 = + 𝑋𝑛 . proportion of such type of particle in our final mixture of
𝑃𝑑𝑛 𝑃𝑑𝑛 𝐶
volume 𝑉𝑓 . For clay we have 𝑛 =100ml/0.2=500ml. for sand,
𝑃𝑑𝑛
These are the equations of a line for every n. We want to find 𝐶𝑛 𝐶𝑛
=80ml/0.4=200ml, for lime we have =0ml/0.1=0ml, for
different positive 𝑋𝑛 ′𝑠 for a common positive 𝑉𝑓 , and to do so 𝑃𝑑𝑛 𝑃𝑑𝑛
𝐶𝑛
we imagine a set of lines, each produced by an equation 𝑉𝑓 = gravel =50ml/0.25=200ml, and for silt,
𝑃𝑑𝑛
𝐶𝑛 1 𝐶𝑛 𝐶𝑛
+ 𝑋𝑛 of a given particle type n. Since all numbers =20ml/0.05=400ml. We see that the greatest ratio among all
𝑃𝑑𝑛 𝑃𝑑𝑛 𝑃𝑑𝑛 𝑃𝑑𝑛
are positive, all of the lines of the set intersect the 𝑉𝑓 axis in a of them is 𝑽𝒇 = 500 ml. This means that our final modified
positive quantity. If we take the greatest of such quantities, say mixture, after adding different particle volumes to our 250 ml
𝐶𝑔
, to be 𝑉𝑓 , then the corresponding 𝑋𝑔 is zero, and all other original soil, will be 500 ml in volume.
𝑃𝑑𝑔
𝐶𝑛 1 Step 2: We now solve the equations 𝑿𝒏 = 𝑷𝒅𝒏 𝑽𝒇 − 𝑪𝒏 for
𝑋𝑛 values that satisfy 𝑉𝑓 = + 𝑋𝑛 will be greater than 𝑋𝑔 , each particle n.
𝑃𝑑𝑛 𝑃𝑑𝑛
or positive. For silt, 𝑋𝑛 = 0.05 ∗ 500𝑚𝑙 − 20 𝑚𝑙 = 5𝑚𝑙. For sand,
Having found this common 𝑉𝑓 , we can solve the set of 𝑋𝑛 = 0.4 ∗ 500𝑚𝑙 − 80 𝑚𝑙 = 120𝑚𝑙. For clay, 𝑋𝑛 = 0.2 ∗
equations 𝑋𝑛 = 𝑃𝑑𝑛 𝑉𝑓 − 𝐶𝑛 for each particle n. 500𝑚𝑙 − 100 𝑚𝑙 = 0𝑚𝑙. For gravel, 𝑋𝑛 = 0.25 ∗ 500𝑚𝑙 −
What follows is an example of how to use the reasoning 50 𝑚𝑙 = 75𝑚𝑙. For lime, 𝑋𝑛 = 0.1 ∗ 500𝑚𝑙 − 0 𝑚𝑙 = 50𝑚𝑙.
above: Step 3: Now that we have the needed volumes to be added
Suppose that Figure 3 represents the mean result of our local of each particle type, to our original 250 cc mixture as to obtain
soil granulometry. Suppose now that we desire a soil for an ideal 500 mixture, we calculate the proportions of each
superadobe construction, with the following proportions: individual component in our 500 cc final mixture as parts in 10.
Silt: 5% or less, Sand: 40%, Gravel: 25%, Clay: 20%, Parts of soil from the site= 250ml*10/500ml=5 parts.
and Lime: 10%. Parts of pure clay=0ml*10/500ml=0 parts (this means that all
In order to use this local soil for construction, we must add the clay needed for our mixture is already present in the regular
different volumes 𝑋𝑛 , of clay, sand, gravel and lime, to our land. soil). Parts of sand=120ml*10/500ml=2.4 parts. Parts of
Adding different volumes of specific particle types (sand, gravel=75ml*10/500ml=1.5 parts. Parts of
gravel or clay) to our 250 ml jar, until we get the d lime=50ml*10/500ml=1 part. Parts of
silt=5ml*10/500ml=0.1 parts, a quantity too small to be
added.
In conclusion, to fill our sacks with the soil of this example,
we must add to our mixer each time: 5 buckets of soil from our
site (sieved), 2.4 buckets of sand, 1.5 buckets of gravel, and
1 bucket of air lime. After that, we add water until final
consistency is achieved, and we will have an ideal mix using
our own earth from the site plus some purchased additions.
Hence, to construct a superadobe of, say, 20 cubic meters in
this land, we should use 10 cubic meters of sieved soil from the
site, and purchase: 4.8 cubic meters of sand, 3 cubic meters of
gravel, 2 cubic meters of lime and 0.2 cubic meters of silt (silt
can and should be disregarded in real practice, as it decreases
mixture strength). In the case where there is some silt present in
local soil (it is common in small percentages), it would be valid
to set 𝑃𝑑𝑛 = 0.05 𝑜𝑟 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 as in our example as to solve the
equations, disregarding the quantities of silt to be added in the
end.
In general, we are looking for a mixture that enables
Superadobe blocks with a compression resistance of 60 kg / cm2
Fig. 3. Granulometric jar test.
or better.
 Notes on mixture: latitudes, obtains a more regular stream of light, we might place
• On window arches (will be discussed later), percentage of common areas as living room or kitchen, which can also benefit
lime has to be increased up to 30% lime to ensure greater from facing east to receive the morning sun. Bathrooms and
resistance. This could mean adding only sand, gravel and lime laundry rooms may be placed at the northern side of the dome.
to the mixer in the correct proportions. After getting past It is important to know the direction from where strong winds
windows to close the dome, we can again use only 10% lime come in winter, as to avoid placing door or window openings
and 20% clay with local soil (recommended values). facing these directions. Also, conducting previous studies when
• The mixture inside the mixer is grabbed and squeezed in the possible, we can detect electric currents or underground water
hand to observe that it takes the shape given by our force but it currents that should be avoided as building sites. Studying
should not drip water. possible terrain overall inclination we should opt for
• We should discard stones (5cm diameter or more) from the establishing our dome in the highest point of our terrain, as to
gravel, because they can break the sack when compacting. avoid water accumulation surrounding the dome’s foundations.
Hence, gravel must also be sieved, as the soil from the site. B. Execution
3) Dome orientation and location 1) Foundation and drainage
We must first use common sense: choosing a flat area of The main foundation material is stone and gravel (with rich
perennial trees and rocks, or buildings that give us shade. Also, granulometry, ranging from rocks to sand). The use of gravel
a Superadobe dome should be oriented according to the solar and rocks as Support of a building is optimal because it isolates
Axes. moisture, unlike foundations with cement grout or concrete
Solar orientation is achieved empirically by a simple cane in slabs. Gravel also perfectly supports the loading efforts which
the center of the ground. The sun since it leaves the ‘solar east’, come from the building.
sweeps a series of shadows, drawing a ‘solar fan’ to give us the A dome has a huge weight of around 35 tons, but its weight
shadow we need (South-North). This is, just the center of the is distributed equally around each circular section. The building
fan and coincides with the solar noon. does not need a concrete base, as it only needs to efficiently and
Setting a straight line along the solar noon shadow with a evenly transmit the loads to the soil at a proper depth, and a
rope, we will have the North axis. From there we will get a gravel bed which is deep enough is good to do so.
cross: another line at 90º, to have the East – West axis of the The foundation in a dome, is a "continuous shallow
Dome (Figure 4, orange axes). foundation bed", consisting of stone and gravel as support and
In the case where we build different modules, the overall as moisture insulation by capillarity. Figure 5 ilustrates a
structure is not fully symmetric in terms of its extension, and
we should orient its greater length along the east-west solar axis

Fig. 5. Section of the Superadobe foundation, foundation disposition and

inclination.

general foundation bed section, its insulation and the inclination

of the drain pipe.
Typically for a Superadobe structure of 35 tons or less, a
foundation trench 1 m wide and 1 m deep, will be 15 m2 in
Fig. 4. Magnetic and Polar axis.
surface (for a dome of 2.4-2.5 m of radius), and passing the
ground a trivial amount of pressure, roughly 0.23 kg / cm2.
to make the most of the energy of the sun, so that the dome will
The depth of 1m would enable us to find solid ground with
warm us in winter.
The orientation of the dome with respect to the north and more than sufficient bearing capacity to support the distributed
solar south is necessary also in the case where only one module weight of the building through an initial bed of stone, gravel
is constructed, to orient the building’s instances. Sleeping and superficial sand, of depth 50cm.
rooms can be oriented to the west or to the east to receive the Sacked stone and gravel occupying a width of 50cm on the
warmth and light of the greatest direct angle sun from the outer foundation trench will act, together with the stone, gravel
afternoon or from the morning. To the south, which in our and sand bed, as a drainage barrier by capillarity.
5 Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

One or two drainage pipes (with wholes performed on the and the dynamics of this cycles (one taking place at the mixer
top to allow the entrance of water, marked in red in Fig 5.) area, and the other at the building area), involves two teams,
should circle the foundation, both of them above sand level (one one team per area, and having ideally three persons each (figure
along the exterior of the trench, the other circling around the 7).
outer edge of the base sack), and given an inclination of 2
degrees (going 3.5cm deep every meter of length, as in diagram
above), respecting the natural terrain inclination as to catch
water accumulation and drive it away.
Geotextile material should insulate the building foundation
from the gravel barrier within the trench as seen in the diagram
above as well, as marked in green in Fig 5.
2) Compasses
As seen in Fig. 6, two compasses must be set for the
construction of a dome. The center compass (see below,
centered at C) must already be set up prior the opening of the
foundation trench, for with the aid of this central compass, the
circle of the trench is drawn on the ground.

Fig. 7 . Site distribution.

The dynamics of the cycles are as follows:

Around Concrete Mixer: Conforming to the final
proportions needed for gravel, sand and clay (which were
calculated in the mixture preparation step in order to prepare the
soil onsite and attribute the desired proportions), these piles, as
well as the soil pile, should be gathered in proximity of the
mixer (figure 9), and must have shovels and containers in the
proximity of each, all with identic capacity.
The number of parts of each material is added to the mixer at
the center in a correct order (generally the gravel first to help
Fig. 6. Central and Vertical compasses. clean the mixer from previous loads and loosen material, then
the soil, the sand, and then the clay). After the dry measures of
The second compass (vertical compass) is the guide for these materials become homogenous in the mixer, the air lime
describing the roof curvature (the second curvature) of the and finally water are added to achieve final consistency of the
dome. Its center is set just on the outer edge of the base sack mix).
(the first sack over ground level), on the inner most edge of the After some time in the mixer, the mix can be taken and
smashed with our hands to observe that the applied form
entrance set - up. Since this second compass cannot fully rotate
remains and water does not drip. If the mix crumbles, we should
to guide the construction, the center compass, which is free to
apply more water. If it is too wet, we should mix more soil. If
rotate 360 degrees, compliments it. It works by being adjusted
the mix results wet in previous attempts, we must use less water
to match the endpoint of the vertical compass at the exact height but always the same amount of air (hydrated, wet) lime.
of the next ring (determined by touching the endpoint of the The mixer, after the mix is homogenous and with the correct
vertical compass with the center of a guide object, brick for consistency (after 5-10 minutes mixing), is unloaded on a
example, with center mark at a height equivalent to one half of cartwheel and the mix transported (ideally not too far) to the
the filled sack height), and placed on top of the previous ring building area to fill the sacks.
(figure 8). Three people at least should manage the mixer area, whereas
one of them manages the mixer and the soil consistency inside
3) Main procedure
adding water at the end, the other two, gather, transport and feed
Once the tools have been aqqquired and preparations made: the corresponding quantities of different ingredients to the
the terrain has been leveled, the soil (seived), gravel (also mixer. One of these two, can transport the final mix to the
seived), clay (if necessary) and sand accumulated onsite, the building area as well.
air/hydraulic lime is set up onsite, the mixer placed in a
convenient place onsite, the central compass placed, the
foundation trench opened and built with its drainage barriers,
pipes and base rings, two repetitive processes begin: one around
the mixer and the other around the compasses on the building
site. The objective is the placement of the consecutive rings,
 Ideally, after the mix is delivered to the dome area team, the structure), must stomp (compact) the newly placed portion of
two people in charge of feeding the mixer should begin sack all the way through. This adds stability to the growing
gathering the different materials and feeding the mixer again, structure and advances the work.
thus giving time for the mixer to prepare the mix while the other
team places sack. This process repeats itself until the building
is completed.
On the building area: When the mix prepared in the mixer
area arrives to the dome area, it must be passed from the
cartwheel to a bucket of manageable size to fill the mouth of the
sack.

Fig. 9. Helping the placer of the sack. The dome team.

Note: As said before, the bag, when placed, is not compacted

and the person on the inside of the structure must leave two
finger’s distance between the washer (compass mark) and the
inner edge of the newly placed sack segment, as the bag spreads
laterally when stomped and must touch the tip of the washer

Fig. 8. Delivering mixture to the dome area.

The sack is extended from the sacks resting point at a given

height to the ground.
The amount of mixture added to the mouth of the sack on the
ground needs to be just enough for the strength of the person
positioned on top of the structure turning and placing the sack
(the sack placer). A third person is important at mid height on
some kind of ladder or scaffold between the person on the
ground and the placer of the sack at the top, in order to pass the
load from the ground to the sack placer at the top, so that he or
she does not bend down so much, in order to avoid losing
equilibrium.
As the sack is being laid by the sack placer at the top, a person
inside the growing structure measures the correct distance
between the mark in the extended center compass, and the edge
of the sack.
If the correct distance is not achieved (two fingers between
the mark and the inner edge of the sack segment, before the sack
is stomped), this person instructs the sack placer to rectify,
either to pull the sack closer or farther from the center. After
some length or portion of the ring is correctly placed, another Fig. 10. Measuring correct distance of the ring edge with the central compass.
person (ideally), or the sack placer (who is already atop of the
7 Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

after compacted. If it does not, two or three people using the length, wire length and compass length for the new ring
scaffold if needed, can move the bag portion (pull or push in a placement:
synchronized manner) to reposition it further or closer to the After placing a new level / ring / superblock, you must
center. As the sack is being laid, its placement with respect definitely trample at least 3 - 4 times along the stomper, as
to the center compass must be checked continuously so as illustrated in the figure 11 (a person who is ideally strong and
not to have to rectify and lose time. who, as the sack placer, is confident working on heights).
Note: It is important to mention that one of the most
demanding parts of the job carried out at the dome area, is that
of the placement of the sack. As the rings are curved, and this
curvature intensifies with each higher level, a sufficient amount
of mixture must be successfully managed/ driven/ manipulated,
while enough torsion (for the curvature) must be given to the
portion of sack being placed, who’s weight can range from 15-
30 kg, all while trying to maintain equilibrium at a determined
height over the previous ring’s stomped surface (not greater
than 35-40 cm wide).

Fig. 12. Stomping the ring.

After a correct stomping, and using the scaffold if needed, a

double line of triple point steel barbed wire must be “sewn” or
stitched onto the upper surface of the newly placed ring. This
can be done by the stomper or any other team member that
understands the technique of stitching the steel onto the ring (by
inserting the steel points in opposing directions) (figure 13).
Stitching must also be done in such way, that the double steel
pattern not necessarily lies on the center of the rings upper
surface but rather, more to the interior of the ring, to hold in
place the next ring, as new rings tend more and more inward as
height increases.
On the first rings, it will appear that the wall is straight
(cylinder), but reaching 2/3 of the dome’s height, it starts being
clearly noticeable as the sacks are staggered, that they
drastically become more and more inwards with each new
Fig. 11. The sack placer.
layer. Barbed wire in these levels must be placed further into
Correct sack placement technique must be observed by the the dome so that the wire is just in the middle of the upper bag
sack placer, especially in the sense of keeping safe and holding it in place.
balanced at heights greater than one meter, and giving torsion After a whole sack
to the sack so as to have a continuous final sack rather than (superblock) is
fractured. completely filled, the
The stomping can give finishing angles to the surfaces and mixer is stopped.
sides of the rings. A stomping inclination outward can be given Once the complete
to each ring, for the building to have an added mechanism to sack is placed,
repel falling excess water out of itself. stomped and stitched,
Also, a sack should never be finished where the one on the a measuring of the
bottom has finished. lengths of the next
This process at the dome area (sack filling, placement and ring’s sack and steel
stomping) is carried out once and again with every arriving cart wire perimeters must
of soil mixture until the ring is completed. be made and the
Stomping, Barbed wire placement, and measuring sack Fig. 13. Stitching barbed wire to the ring. corresponding cuts
made, overestimating on the safe side by 1-1.5 m. Then, the ring, since the dome in height increments is closing up. (Note
process of adjusting the center compass for the new ring (the that in this next figure, a formula is derived for the length of
center ring washer mark is set to match the length of the vertical the arch theta that can be swept by the vertical compass across
compass where it will meet the midpoint of the next ring) must the ring; within the limits of the door frame. Theta measures
be carried out. Finally, the mixer can be turned on again and the 2 rads (4.28m), more than enough to encompass the width of
previous process (main procedure) of soil mixing and sack any window or door frame).
placing begins again.
4) Mold placement and use for window and door openings
At a certain height range (at height 0.2 m – 0.6 m in the case
of the main door, and at height 1 m-1.5 m in the case of
windows, depending on the dome dimensions), molds must be
placed on top of the newest ring to account for door or window
openings.

Fig. 15. Trace mark over a window mold.

Where:
𝑥 = √(1.5𝑚)2 + (0.8𝑚)2 = 1.7𝑚
0.8𝑚
𝛼 = 𝑠𝑖𝑛−1 ( ) ≈ 28°
1.7𝑚
Fig. 14. Mold / Frame for the main door.
𝛽 = 90° − 𝛼 ≈ 90° − 28° ≈ 62°
𝜃 = 2𝛽 ≈ 124° ≈ 0.68𝜋𝑟 ≈ 2.14𝑟 ≈ 4𝑚
With respect to placing the sack portions of each ring along
the molds, the key is to work as described in the steps before, The ideal windows are of base 1 meter and height 1.5 meters.
guided always by the center compass), but with the exception The ideal doors are of base 1.5 m wide by 1.80 m high. The
that when the sack being placed encounters the mold at its foot, final position of a window or door mold, should be set
one must stop the sack, filling it a little more, and stomping it according to one of the two solar axes, as to keep the room
at the edge of the mold (fig 14). orientation set before. Molds should be placed on top of bricks
Then, some rings higher, when two or three levels remain and long wood panels, so when the the sacks surrounding and
until the height of the mold is reached, and the sack meets the over the molds harden, these bricks are moved through impact
mold, instead of being stopped, the sack must continue and be
passed over the mold, being filled along the edges of the mold
and given it an arch form over it, as to be self-sustaining,
always respecting the vertical compass distances for each
height level (abiding by a mark made on the mold with
indelible marker before being placed on its final position).
How to mark the mold with indeleble marker before
placing it on its final position:
Before placing the mold on its final position on the ring, it
must be placed on the ring on its final height, and in such a way
that its center is collinear with the origin of the vertical axis and
the center of the dome. From this position, a trace mark through
where the sack must pass over the mold should be made on the
mold with a marker according to figure 15. All molds must have
sufficient depth as to account for the dome’s double curvature. Fig. 16. Window molds prior the laying of the arched self-sustained ring on
top.
Molds must stand out on the inside of the dome about 40cm, to
account for the differences in radii experimented by each higher and the molds then come easily out.
9 Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

A final inclination outward of the molds can be achieved height, for a dome of up to 2.4m in radius, must exceed the
through the bricks at their base, as to help the structure with starting line of the curvature (Springline) in 50 cm (Figure 20).
excess rainfall drainage. For example: If after
We must not remove the mold base bricks and the molds until our foundation we
after 2 weeks at least for the mixture to acquire its final strength. build a cylinder wall of
Once the whole arches of doors and windows harden, molds 50 cm, (3 rings or so),
are removed tossing away the bricks. After the whole structure our springline will be at
has been finished, the installation of definitive window and 50 cm above ground
door frames on the structure openings can take place. level. We would in this
Fig. 19. Sewing sacks from different rings case, build the buttress
with barbed wire. together with the first
six rings (the three first
rings of the cylinder base wall plus the three rings that follow,
of 50 – 60 cm high, which come after the initial 50 cm
springline, so the the buttress would total one 1m-1.2m in
height).
A single Superadobe module of radius greater than 2.5 m, is

Fig. 17. Window opening after removal of the mold. Notice the self-
sustainable arch form of the window according to the steps described
above.

5) Buttresses and apses

Our domed superadobe is a revolved arch, and for this
reason, the principles of the arch apply to it. Moreover, a Fig. 20. Buttress.
buttress may support any kind of wall, as it is an architectural
structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to not common and cannot be built unless very thick walls and
support or reinforce the wall, yet in the case of arches and buttresses are incorporated. These are common constraints
domes, it prevents their destruction by counteracting the strong among those who build superadobe, and they exist for an
outward horizontal forces originated in them. important reason, yet, as a side note, it would be interesting to
Our buttress occurs in the base of the dome, surrounding the challenge these limitations, and to find alternatives that
first layers of sack above the ground as shown in the figure 18: enable the construction of bigger single modules safely.
The process of building apses will not be described in this
article, yet the basic idea in their construction is to stop laying
sack at the points of intersection of two domes, alternating
between a sack on top from the main dome, and a sack on top
from the apse in such points of intersection, abiding by the
compass of each dome, as the apse has its own vertical and
center compasses (figure 21).
All apses are valid, even the ones that have its center far from
the main dome and intersect it in such a way that the height of
the common arch is not enough for a person to pass. In these
cases, a deep door mold should be used to guide the
construction of a hall between the two domes. Yet, given a main
dome, there exists a natural apse for it, because this ‘perfect’
apse, in contrast with all others, will also act as a buttress for
the main dome.
Fig. 18. Buttress of a guest dome at the Domoterra Institute.

While being constructed, buttresses connect to the base rings

through barbed wire in the form of "s´s", sewing the two sack
rolls (the base sack and the buttress sack) together (Figure 19).
Buttresses are an extra wall around the dome, and their
 the domes internal base diameter, in accordance to table 1
TABLE 1: RELATION BETWEEN BASE DIAMETER, SACK WIDTH AND SACK
HEIGHT

Diameter of Width of Sack Height of sack

internal Base (m) (cm) (cm)
0-3 30 8.5
3 - 3.5 35 9.5
3.5 - 4 40 10
4 - 4.5 45 13
4.5 - 5 50 14

Fig. 21. A pair of points of intersection between main dome and apse, where
(The filling of the sack will reduce its nominal width in 7 cm
the rings are sewn together and alternated. - 12 cm).
• Having divided the dome in imaginary quadrants, only one
opening (window or door) can exist on each quadrant, in such
The center of this ideal apse should have to coincide with the way the length of the remaining arch walls have bases of length
outer edge of the base sack of the main dome, and the line (curved) equal or greater than 1.25 m (figure 23).
segment that passes through the outer edge of the base sack of
the apse and the apex (top) of the main dome should form a 45
degree angle with the ground, as in the next figure 22:

Fig. 23. Dome openings by quadrant.

• The first and foremost empirical rule for Superadobe

construction, which together with the base diameter – sack
width relation, is the most fundamental: The relation between
Fig. 22. An ideal apse. vertical compass length and base radius / sack width. It is never
said, yet in practice, because the vertical compass is set just at
6) Empirical design rules the outer edge of the base ring, and extended through the
From the experience of construction as carried out by me and center of the base up to the internal edge of the opposite sack
also according to the available bibliography on the matter, one portion, we have 𝑟𝑟=2𝑟𝑏+𝑠𝑤, where 𝑟𝑟 is the length of the
can put together a set of empirical rules that are somewhat vertical compass. 𝑟𝑏 is the length of internal base radius, and
implicit, but are always observed in the construction of these 𝑠𝑤 is the sack’s width (figure 24).
buildings as a direct result of applying its methods:
• A compressive resistance for the material which ranges
from 60 to 80 K/cm², is safe for a dome not surpassing 5 meters
in diameter.
• For an apse to act as a buttress to a central dome, its center
should be on the outer edge of the central dome, and the line
segment connecting its base rings outermost edge with the apex
of the main dome must form 45 degrees with the ground.
• Typically for a Superadobe structure of 35 tons or less, a
foundation trench should be 1 m wide and 1 m deep.
• In general, when building a dome of internal base diameter
greater than 1.5 m, buttresses must be built for the building to
be safe.
• Buttresses must always be built up to 50 cm above (3-5
rings above) the springline.
• Sack dimensions (filled), must be chosen as a function of Fig. 24. Empirical rule of Superadobe construction: 𝑟𝑟=2𝑟𝑏+𝑠𝑤.
11 Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Through finite element and other types of structural a mixture of one or several binders (lime is most strongly
analyses, all of these notions and rules should be challenged, recommended), sand, pure water and eventually other additives
and their reasons understood. with thermal or other properties.
7) Additional protection and levels
Description of three recommended plaster layers:
The supports for a small loft can be inserted directly into the
wall above the level of the windows if the height of the dome is • The grout or first coat:
sufficient for a second floor. A suspended stepladder can be Thickness of 1 to 5mm. To be used to "fill" all the slits
made by building the steps directly into the wall as cantilever. between bag and bag: The channels between sack and sack
These can be placed to a depth of 0.3m being held in the wall, provide good support for this first layer. The mixture should be
extending 0.7m into the dome. As the bending moments in the composed of 4 measures of sand for 1 measure of lime. Cut or
stairs could cause problems with plaster stability, it is beneficial crushed straw can be introduced into the mixture to give more
to add further support to these [6]. roughness to this first layer, for the next ones to hold onto better.
Also, regarding water management, supports for awnings can A mortar ball is grabbed with the hand and applied to the
be placed on the wall over the door and windows, extending out dome from bottom to top taking advantage of the cracks
of the dome, and rebar lengths can be placed between rows with between sack and sack. It is important to work in discrete areas
reo - mesh tied on, to provide a base for ferroconcrete gutters of the dome and finish, for example, 1.60m high throughout the
[6]. perimeter of the dome, that is, the first layer must not be applied
8) Waterproofing from the bottom of the dome up to its peak but rather in different
Our Superadobe is very resistant to earthquakes, cold and phases: lower, middle and upper part of the dome.
heat, but It cannot efficiently resist water by itself, as water The plaster may be applied with the trowel but it is very
degrades our mixture and bag resistance. That's why our dome important not to "smooth" this layer, for its gripping surface
is recyclable and if we do not pay attention to the finishing, with should be rough, to facilitate the adhesion of the second layer
the pass of time, water enters and undoes the structure in a few (fig 25). proponemos incorporar esta figura luego de la
years. revisión).
Fabric of goretex type (a membrane for the control of water Hence, the mortar mixture that is used must have medium to
vapor and a 100% barrier to air infiltration) is recommended for thick sand. The optimum sand is quarry sand and has to be
the inner wall of the dome. When installed on the hot face of bought. It is possible to use the sand of the sack mixture or filter
the internal insulation, the rate of heat lost by convection sand from the terrain, previously screening away the fine parts
through the structure of the building decreases, and it offers a and impurities.
barrier to infiltration and air loss from living spaces within the Finally, pressure is applied with the trowel, and a barbed
building. brush or other abrasive tool is passed to generate furrows or
For the exterior, a membrane which should be extremely patterns. We must wait for the plaster to lose water to "tighten",
resistant to water must be included, tight to air and wind and, at between 20 and 30 minutes depending on the weather. Water
the same time, high permeability to water vapor to avoid must be applied in the case of a sunny day. This tightening
condensations inside the walls. In general terms, three layers of phase must be done once the layer acquires certain plasticity but
plaster are recommended and will be described below. has already begun to set (figure 25).
As for thermal insulation, it is a well-known fact that a • The 2nd layer:
Superadobe possesses a high thermal mass, providing high Thickness of 15 to 20 mm. It ensures the waterproofing of
thermal inertia, minimizing the effect of temperature the wall. Should be applied after seven days from setting of the
fluctuations. Thermal insulation is not discussed in this article, previous layer for alternating dry and wet weather.
yet many passive strategies such as window orientation with The wall is moistened previously on the cured last layer, and
respect to the sun, wind tunnels, chimneys, and natural and the second coating applied by projecting with the palette or
synthetic thermal insulation barriers might be used depending throwing plaster balls against the dome.
on the many possible weather patterns on the place where the The proportions are also 4 parts of sand by 1 part of lime.
dome is built. After the projection, a rule is passed over the wall. This layer
must also be “tightened” with the trowel to eliminate the
Plaster general description:
The main additive of a general purpose superadobe plaster possibility of fissure generation. As in the first layer, this
should be lime, as lime adheres well to different supports, is a second one is to be expected to have plastic behavior. Apply
natural and biological product, adapts to construction water if it is necessary to tighten.
movements and prevents the appearance of cracks in the walls. Finally, a toothed brush or a saw is passed to make patterns
Also, during and after setting, lime mortars are permeable to as in the first layer (figure 26) (proponemos incorporar esta
water vapor yet impermeable to water. This way, they favor the figura luego de la revisión).
evaporation of water contained in the walls that breathe.
Lime mortars are easily colored, which is also an aesthetic • The finishing layer:
benefit. The impermeabilization mortar must be constituted by Thickness of 5 to 8 mm. It is used for decoration, also for
protecting the wall and the two preceding layers. It is applied
on the body of the humidified second layer, after a minimum of 10) Conclusions:
4 to 7 days since this second layer was applied (after 15 days if
pure lime is to be used in this third coating, although the Although the following could be regarded as subjective, an
composition for this layer can also be 3 parts of fine sand per 1 important conclusion that I have drawn from the experience of
part of lime). building a Superadobe dome is that the method has the potential
After the projection is done throughout, the rule is passed, to bond the people who participate with one another. Teamwork
then pressure and work is applied to the drying mortar to obtain and good faith was indeed the driving force behind the project:
the finish wanted. This coating finish layer must be regularly as is a tradition in many parts of rural Africa when a public
"tight" with the use of a trowel. building or the house of a member of a village is built or
In the smaller / more delicate areas such as arches of doors repaired, all members of a community work together regardless
and / or windows, a metal spoon can be used to "tighten" the of who’s home is it, or any other difference. This may have to
layer. do with the fact that satisfyng a basic human need with one’s
It is always important to wait for the plaster to lose water to own hands reminds of our fragility in life, as being there for one
be "tightened", between 20 and 30 minutes after initial contact another makes us less fragile indeed.
with the dome depending on the weather conditions.
This last coat is naturally the most artistic of the three phases. Cities are overpopulated, and according to simple
We can customize the dome by drawing on the plaster while is mathematical logic, they will become more overpopulated
still fresh, or placing geometric shapes, stones, mosaics and / or unless we look outside of cities to embody our compulsory
ecological colors (figure 27) (proponemos incorporar esta population growth. At this growth rate, all construction
figura luego de la revisión). companies working at full capacity could not satisfy the world’s
housing demands, so it makes sense to think of a modern world
9) Time and Cost:
where families will able to cover their housing needs for
According to our experience, 40 m of foundation can be dug themselves, and Superadobe is in my opinion, an idoneous
in three 8-hour days (for a straight walled regular adobe method to inspire this model.
structure used for practice). As it was carried out by a team of
10 in this time frame, 40 m of foundation equates to 240 man We can imagine a sustainable model of population growth,
hours. Hence, 0.17 m of foundation equates to one man hour. where state and investors could provide with water, power, road
Similarly, 15 m of sack were laid per day on an average day on and other basic infrastructure in areas outside of cities, and
the domed structure. Since the team size was 10, 15m of sack families themselves, including those with low income, with the
equates to 80 man hours. Hence 0.1875 m of sack equate to one use of earth, could take on the construction of the houses and
man hour. community centers themselves, assuming the costs of labor in
A dome of internal base diameter of 4 m, vertical compass of these spaces. This would dramatically lower project costs, and
4.4 m length, base cylinder wall 0.5m high, sack width of 0.4 m monthly payments to return the initial investment (public or
and sack height of 0.2 m would have a total height of approx. private) would be lower than common mortages of today. In
3.8 m, it would have some 36 m of foundation and roughly 250 such model, it is conceivable that investors will be able to
m of sack, (having approx 20 m³ of earth and weighing 34 tons). achieve high interest rates on their investments in lower times.
It would need at least 1500 man hours of work: roughly 40 days
of work carried out by a team of 5, working 8 hours a day. Methods to safely build with one’s own hands and low
An example budget of approx. $2500 could be allocated on impact materials should exist and be constantly perfected,
other documented projects[6]. The major costs involved should be lagalized, and what’s more: encouraged, through
include: such concerted projects between state, private entities and
 Just over 20 cubic meters of sand, about $250 . families, for the result of applying the technique described in
 30 cubic meters of building/plastering mix, $750 this article is nothing less than an earthquake resistant house,
 10 tons of 20mm aggregate, $250 with comparable functions of that of a counterpart appartment
 1000m by 0.41m wide woven polypropylene: UV – built in a conventional place, in a conventional way, costing 40
stabilized, circular woven tube) $600, which is about four times more.
times the length needed for two domes of this size (internal
base diameter of 4 m, vertical compass of 4.4 m length,
sack with of 0.4 m and a total height of building of about
3.5 m. )
 Earthworks $300
 2 rolls of high tensile barbed wire $130
 Recycled windows $85
 Materials for compass and tamper construction $100 [6]
Another example of a dome project with a similar costs, carried
out in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is documented in [8].
13 Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

REFERENCES
[1] Khalili, N. & Vittore, P. (1998). Earth Architecture and
Ceramics, the Sandbag/Superadobe/Superblock
Construction System, Call-Earth Institute. International
Conference of Building Officials, Building Standards,
September-October 1998.
[2] Erbil, Y. (2018). An Alternative Approach to Building
Construction: Natural Building Techniques. European
Journal of Sustainable Development, 7(1), 17-24.
[3] Danso, H. (2018). Identification of Key Indicators for
Sustainable Construction Materials. Advances in Materials
Science and Engineering, 2018, Article ID 6916258, 7
pages. DOI 10.1155/2018/6916258.
[4] Araya-Letelier, G. et al. (2018). Influence of Natural Fiber
Dosage and Length on Adobe Mixes Damage-Mechanical
Behavior. Construction and Building Materials, 174, 645-
655.
[5] M. Ciutad Martín. “Manual de Superadobe”. April 2015.
[6] Wainwright, R. (2018). Building an earthbag dome. TOB,
145, 6-11. www.theownerbuilder.com.au
[7] López, M., González, M.N. & Llauradó, N. (2017).
Equations that describe the geometry of Superadobe domed
structures. 3er. International Conference on Tecnological
Innovation in Building. CITE 2018. Libro de Actas, 227.
[8] Haft, R., Husain, H., Johnson, A. & Price, J. (2010). Green
Building in Haiti.
https://enst.umd.edu/sites/enst.umd.edu/files/_docs/ENST
%20481%20Group%205.pdf