Would you Live in a Shoe House?

The Haines Shoe House from Pennsylvania was built by Colonel Mahlon N. Haines self proclaimed Shoe Wizard, owner of a 40 retail shoe stores in Pennsylvania and Maryland. He didnt actually build this house, it was ordered at an architect in 1948, while he was 73 years old for publicity purposes. The house, a five levels building, has three bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen and living rooms (featuring a special bootshaped dog house in the yard and a shoe mailbox plus a bootdecorated fence), has stained glass of the Colonel holding shoes in every window and was made available for 38 elderly couples yearly, and honeymooners with maid, car and chauffeur. Now the house is owned by Ruth R. Miller (since 1995) and opened for guided tours.

The Shoe House from India is in the Hanging Gardens from Bombay.

As for the Shoe from South Africa, Mpumalanga Province, more exactly near Abel Erasmus Pass its built in 1990 by entrepreneur and artist Ron Van Zyl, a South African artist and hotelier. The

Shoe was actually built for his wife, Yvonne, who said she wanted a shoe. The interior is a museum of rock and wood carvings made by Ron Van Zyl himself. The Shoe is part of a bigger project which includes a camp site and a chalet guest house, restaurant, bar, pool and shop.

The Deschwandens Shoe Repair from Bakersfield California owned by Don Deschwanden was made like a model airplane is made, with ribs and wire and plaster pushed into it.

The Shoe was made in 1947 by Dons father who designed and built this 30-feet-long shoe with a 50-foot-long shoelace from three-inch-wide oilfield rope, dyed black. I often hear about people (I wont be discriminative, saying its only women, in fact) completely obsessing over shoes.

References: http://stylefrizz.com/200803/would-you-live-in-a-shoe-house/

Living Small, Cheap and Simple. Try A Dome House

If I was a teenager that needed some space to me, I would really like a Dome House out in the backyard. Or as a writer, this could be the solution to all my troubles: who doesn't need privacy! These prefab domes come from International Dome House Co. Ltd. and are approved by the Japanese Ministry of Land and Transport. The material is "expanded polystyrene", that is formaldehyde-free, with measures taken for excellent air circulation. The company also claims that the walls have high thermal insulating properties, meaning air-conditioning or heating could be reduced, and the polystyrene is "free from rot, rust and termites". What I don't like: plastic. I am a big fan of wood. Here in Japan I currently live in an old-style wooden farm-house, with the traditional tatami mats on the floor. While I could probably use them in a dome home as well, there is a special feeling when walls, ceilings and other parts of the home are made of natural materials. Having said that, I'd love to try a dome home, maybe as a studio or a meditation room.

Ultra-short assembly time The Dome House can be built by assembling Dome Pieces. Each Dome Piece weighs only 80kg. Since assembly is quite simple, if performed by 3 or 4 people, it takes approximately 7 days to complete a Dome House.

Ultra-low cost The Dome House is simple, since it is a prefabricated building with a small number of parts. Each Dome Piece is light and easy to carry, making the assembly quite easy. Because the construction of the Dome House requires only minimal manpower and a very short period of time, it is possible to reduce the substantial amount of labor costs.

Environmental measures Since expanded polystyrene is made only from carbon and hydrogen, casting of expanded polystyrene is extremely clean. Construction of the Dome House does not produce any waste, nor does it involve any deforestation.
Written by Martin Frid at greenz.jp

References: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/living-small-dome-home-japan.php