10 Day Aircrete 

Dome Building 

Workshop


west port island, Maine

September 6-15, 2024

10-Day 

Dome Building Workshop

Join Domegaia for a 10-day Dome Building Workshop in West Port Island, Maine 
Dates: 
September 6-15, 2024

Table of Contents:

Secure your spot with a $600 deposit and pay the balance later or pay the full tuition now.

Full AmountDeposit - Reserve Your Spot Now
$1,595.00

Workshop Learning Objectives

  • Learn our methods of building a dome home that is fire and rot resistant, insulative, sustainable, strong and durable against the forces of earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.

  • Work in a friendly and respectful team setting to co-create under the guidance of our instructors

  • Build archway form and window frame

  • Mix Aircrete with Domegaia's unique tools - Aircrete is an amazing, material that you can make yourself at home - almost as easily as making pancake batter!

  • Stack bricks with our mortar recipe to construct a dome using a compass arm

  • Apply reinforcement fabric-mesh with stucco

  • "Classroom" exercises and discussions

  • Topics: Foundation pouring, compass arm assembly, window installation, door and door jam construction & installation

  • We will offer an inspirational and informative slideshow presentation and dedicated Q&A time!

​
*Please Note: During this 10-day (hands-on) workshop, we will build a basic dome structure. Instruction includes the fundamentals of pouring, stacking and structural reinforcement of the dome but does not include plumbing, electrical or finishing installations. 


We will do our best as a team to complete the Aircrete dome during the workshop; however, we do not guarantee completion. Unexpected obstacles such as adverse weather conditions, for example, may affect our progress and prevent the dome’s full completion. ​

*Rain or shine!!

Bonus Material

  • Architectural Drawings of Steve Areen's Thailand Dome Home (a 16-page digital download) as well as additional pdf resources and material.

  • A 20% discount on Tools and Equipment valid for 3 months after the conclusion of the workshop.​

  • A 50% discount on future workshops.​

Workshop Schedule

DOME BUILDING SCHEDULE:

September 5th: Check-in (for those staying on-site)


September 6-15: Workshop Instruction

9am: Opening Circle

9am - 1pm: Workshop

1pm - 2pm: Lunch break

2pm - 6pm*: Workshop

September 16th: Departure 


*Some days may run later than 6pm depending on work flow

Lodging Options

Immerse yourself in community and nature! This exclusive event is set in the beautiful landscape of West Port Island, offering an array of accommodations, both shared and private, for those interested in staying on site. 

Accommodations:

  • Private rooms inside the main house:
    * King size River View - $110/night (can be shared by a couple or friends)
    This room has a king-sized bed and a large window overlooking the Sheepscot river


    * Queen Size River View - $100/night (cannot be shared)

    This is one of the coolest rooms in the house, the walls are 200+ year old lathe and plaster and coupled with a cozy bed and lighting this room is the perfect place to unwind


    * Full Size Field View - $100/night (cannot be shared)

    We call this room the moss room, a beautiful shade of calming green with cool accent lights and an ultra-plush mattress! 

  • Pre-assembled campsites: 3 camping areas with tents already assembled, a fire pit and small gas stove burner. This is for someone who maybe wants to keep to themselves at night and/or cook their own meals. This gives you access to the outdoor shower and compost toilets


    * Large Tent - $50/night (can be shared by a couple or friends). This tent has two large rooms and a divider if need be


    * Medium Tent - $40/night (can be shared by a couple or friends)

    This tent has two large rooms and a divider if need be


    * Medium Tent - $40/night (can be shared by a couple or friends)

  • Tent/Car Camping: $10/night (two areas for camping with close proximity to compost toilets, unlimited other options to camp on the land). We highly recommend campers participate in the meal plan. It is 15 minutes to the nearest store and after a long day of work it will be the last thing you want to do! 

  • RV parking:  

    * No electrical hook-up - $15/night 

    * Electrical hook up - $30/night (2 available for power after workshop hours – must bring your own converter cords)



Meal Plan Options

Alexandra is a private chef and owns her own food truck (@MAZUMAINE). She focuses on organic / local food, creating balanced meals that are colorful and extremely tasty. There will always be a vegetarian option, and all meals will have enough protein to make up for the hard physical work of the workshop. She tries to accommodate for other food intolerances as well (check in about this prior to booking). Food is one of her passions and during last workshop they hosted many students saw the food/heard how good it was and then wanted signed up!

  • Full Meal Plan (3 meals a day) - $480

  • Breakfast - $12 

    Frittatas, French toast, oatmeal bar, breakfast sandwiches, breakfast tacos, side of fruit, fresh juices or smoothies, homemade breads 

  • Lunch - $16

    Wraps, sandwiches, chicken salad, burgers, hearty salads, tacos, watermelon juice 

  • Dinner - $20

    Chicken and rice bowls, vegetable curry, hearty soup and homemade bread, slow cooked stews. *Sometimes there will be a dessert*

You do not have to stay on-site to take advantage of this meal plan, any and all are welcome! 

Transportation Options 

Flight Instructions:

The closest airport to fly into is the Portland International Jetport in Portland, ME and is approximately  an hour from the workshop location. People can also fly into the Boston Logan International airport (~3 hours away) and take a bus or train to Westport Island. 


From the Airport to the Farm:

Uber/Lyft/Taxis are available and are anywhere from $90-$120 from Portland International Airport. Alexandra and Sean will also be offering a shuttle service from PIA for about $50/person depending on how many people sign up for the shuttle. 

Book your Accommodations 

If you have any questions about accommodation and to book your meals, lodging, and a shuttle from the airport please contact our host Alexandra directly by emailing her at  awollins@gmail.com. She will be handling reservations and payments and can accept credit cards, checks by mailed, Venmo, Zelle, PayPal or cash/check upon arrival. 

About our hosts: Alexandra and Sean

"Hello! We are Alexandra and Sean, your hosts. We hosted our first Domegaia workshop in 2022 - so we have a fully built Dome on our property! We are in the process of creating a Non-profit dedicated to hosting eco-building workshops with a long-term goal of creating beautiful housing spaces for artists, thinkers and creators. Since moving here in the middle of Covid, we have renovated the two houses on the land, built a dome, planted an orchard, built a greenhouse and brought this property into the 21st century. We love projects.

Sean is a master electrician and a body worker, specializing in resistance stretching, qi-gong, and cranial sacral. He moved to Maine from Santa Barbara, California after falling in love with Alexandra. 

Alexandra studied art and engineering and went on to receive a masters in teaching. She taught for a while but realized formal institutions were not her cup of tea so switched gears to work one-on-one with adult clients: specializing in nutrition, motivation and cultivating the life of your dreams.  

Sean and Alexandra love good food, comedians, traveling (especially Japan), working the earth, sailing and learning new skills."


Location Details:  Westport Island, Maine

There is no better place than Maine during the end of the summer. The days are the perfect temperature and the nights are just the right amount of cool to finally use a blanket after the high summer heat. This property is unique because the land slopes to the water, whereas most other coastal properties are cliff side. Moreso, this property has a unique history as it was used by scientist and psychonaut John C. Lilly as a research facility for LSD and extraterrestrial communication through the study of porpoise and dolphins. It has many trails, coves, its own private island, tidal waters and a dock to swim off of! 


Westport Island has a bridge, which makes life easy. The nearest grocery store is a Shaws, about 12 minutes away. There are many cute coastal towns nearby to explore. Wiscasset (15 minutes) has cute shops, yummy restaurants, world famous “REDS EATS”, and a delicious bakery! Bath (20 minutes) has even more restaurants & shops and a large Naval Yard where they build and repair our battleships. There are many local trails we can recommend and if a student wants to extent to explore, Acadia National Park is a 2.5/3 hour drive north.

You are in advanced mode.

You can turn it off in left sidebar. To use advanced options, you will need to enter your own Google Maps API Key.

Get Google API Key

What you can expect, hear from past students:

Cancellation Policy

  • Those cancelling more than 4 weeks prior to the first day of the workshop will receive a full tuition refund, minus a 7% processing and administration fee.
  • Those cancelling 2 - 4 weeks prior to the first day of the workshop will receive a half tuition refund, minus a 7% processing and administration fee.
  • No refunds for cancellation requests made less than 2 weeks prior to the first day of the workshop
  • If the workshop has to be cancelled for any reason, you will receive an immediate full refund.

Contact Us

 If you have questions about the workshop, please contact us!
 workshops@domegaia.com

We look forward to building with you!