I do love to be inspired by innovative thinking, aesthetically appealing design, and thoughtful solutions that are kind to the environment, and I recently ran across something that seems to fit ALL THREE of those categories!  Check out this eye-catching housing design that purports to be energy efficient, cost effective to construct, and good for the environment.  It's adorable!  

I was pretty much ready to move in even before I read about the efficiencies of the design, which are more than just icing on the cake.  These modular kit homes are made from 7 inch thick expanded polystyrene foam, which provides excellent insulation (good for heating/cooling efficiency) and is rot/rust/termite-proof.  Because of the igloo shape the wind resistance is reduced, and there is no need for support beams, making it earthquake-proof.  Production doesn't produce waste or deforestation.  The prefab shell structure weighs about 175 pounds, so it's cost efficient to ship.   I think the plaster on one of my dining room walls weighs more that! 

Since we're talking money, the best part is that (for the usual design, not a fancy-pants double structure) the shell price is less than $30K.  How much did those toxic FEMA trailer cost after Hurricane Katrina?  $14,000 each is the lowest price I found, though plenty of dissenters claimed the ultimate cost was more than fourteen times that amount.




The shell arrives in pieces like the two below, and can be assembled by three to four people in just seven days.  Cha-ching!  Low, low labor costs. 





Who are the creative minds behind this?  The Japan House Dome Co..  Kudos, guys!