The Unique Domed Community That's Changing The Role Of Architecture

Sustainability is not an isolated area of concern.  Environmental problems are deeply integrated into many facets of life, including economics and politics. On Iran’s Hormuz Island, a community is being developed that addresses many of these areas, while also providing beautiful, affordable homes for the island’s residents.

Hormuz Island

8 km off the Iranian coast lies the beautiful Island of Hormuz. Known for its deep red-colored earth and surreal shaped mountains, Hormuz is a visual dream.  Unfortunately, international disputes and economic hardships have made life on the island increasingly difficult for locals. Unemployment is rampant and community resources are scarce. Many have turned to smuggling as the only realistic path to earning a living.

A need for sustainable homes

To address the economic and environmental issues, a Tehran-based firm called ZAV Architects created a community of colorful domes using the one resource that is plentiful on Hormuz Island: earth.

How the homes are made

The domes were created through a method called superadobe, developed by Iranian Iranian-born architect Nader Khalili, whereby long fabric tubes or bags filled with organic materials like earth or straw are used to form compression structures.

Not only are the domes built using organic materials, but they’re also designed to echo natural landscapes. Seen from above, the domes resemble organic shapes and clusters. Between the clusters walkways, play areas, and meeting places create appealing places for residents to enjoy the outdoors.

Inside the homes, the earth-based building materials provide natural heating and cooling. During the day, the thick earthen walls absorb the sun’s heat. At night they radiate that stored heat, keeping things at a consistently comfortable temperature without the need for fossil fuels. 

Both the interior and exterior of the homes are painted in bright, cheerful colors that stand in stark contrast to the desert surroundings.

The impact on the island’s residents

Beyond reducing the carbon footprint of the island and boosting the local economy, the architects sought to directly benefit the islander’s way of life.  They intentionally devoted a bigger share of the budget to labor costs over imported materials to employ the locals and offer them training in construction. 

As the project continues to develop, Hormuz Island may see even more benefits.  There are plans to build a “multipurpose cultural residence"  to boost tourism from an annual land art event  that draws large crowds.

But, the dome project has much bigger implications than just Hormuz Island.  It raises larger questions as to the role of architecture on socioeconomic change. As Khalili noted, "In a country where the state struggles with political disputes outside its borders, every architectural project becomes a proposal for internal governing alternatives, asking basic questions: what are the limits of architecture and how can it suggest a political alternative for communal life? How can it attain social agency?" 

As environmental issues continue to impact the world, we are likely to see more ways that architecture can change, not only the physical landscape of the world, but also the political one