Parametrical design tool and the production of technical data for superadobe domes

Abstract

The interest in earthbag dome construction (also known as earthbag or superadobe) has been increasing as world consciousness develops to achieve the planet’s equilibrium for sustainable living. The main objective of this research is to develop a parametric tool to help architects modeling virtual earthbag domes from ideation to construction phase. This challenge has been addressed by adopting an experimental methodology that explores parametric generative design with the use of a visual programming language (VPL). In this paper we present the development of a tool for the ideation level including features that allow for the calculation of material quantification. Even thought, the tool does not work in a Building Information Modeling environment, the generative model outputs technical information to support construction, namely material quantities. The usability of the tool was validated by a random international sample of experts.