Superdome

Mark McMenamin -- Interior Design, 6/1/2007 12:00:00 AM

Nearly 30 years after Patrick Marsilli began building his dome dwellings in Europe and Asia, Solaleya brings the environmentally conscious Domespace Homes to the U.S. The first model, in upstate New York, is 90 percent wood—spruce, cedar, pine, oak—to reduce energy usage in building. Now that the house is finished, a remote-controlled rotating feature powered by passive solar energy turns the skylights toward the sun or away from it, depending on whether heating or cooling is desired. (The dizziness-prone can opt for a stationary version.) The central column and arch are earthquake-proof, the dome hurricane-resistant.