Are these fireproof hurricane proof geodesic domes the post climate change house of the future
Are these fireproof, hurricane-proof geodesic domes the post-climate change house of the future?
Geoship is introducing the bioceramic geodesic dome to the world. Our technology merges the work of two of history’s greatest inventors — the Geodesic Geometry of Buckminster Fuller and the Ceramic Crystal Chemistry of Rustum Roy.
Disclaimer: All images of the bioceramic domes are computer-generated. The product is still in development.
Geoship Raises The Bar
All-Ceramic Composites
Bioceramic domes bypass conventional building materials. The framing, insulation, and panels are 100% bioceramic composite materials. We entrain the ceramic with air to make insulation. We combine basalt and hemp fiber to form panels and frames.
Affordable
We estimate go-to-market turnkey prices to be $50K to $200K (depending on size). This price estimate includes everything: delivery, permitting, installation, mechanical systems, interior finishings, appliances, and optionally electrochromic glass for privacy and passive solar heating/cooling. Bioceramic domes are a mass-production technology that enables the leap onto a new housing affordability curve.
Resilient
Ceramic composites are fireproof to 2,300F. They provide no food for mold or insects. The dome structure distributes stresses and strains perfectly, making it the most earthquake-proof and hurricane-proof form. Bioceramic domes are engineered to last for over 500 years. There is nothing to rot, rust, or deteriorate. They can be repaired and resurfaced with the same ceramic material.
Earth-Friendly
The precast ceramic panels could sequester more CO2 than was released in their production. We can harvest the raw minerals from seawater desalination plants, sewage treatment plants, and other non-toxic waste stream sources. Old ceramic panels can be recycled into new ceramic panels or pulverized and used as fertilizer.
Nature Technology
The chemical composition of Geoship bioceramic is similar to bone and shells. The same material is revolutionizing the orthopedic industry as fast-cure bioactive bone cement. Ancient civilizations used similar ceramic materials to build sacred temple complexes like the great pyramids of Giza.
Health Optimizing
Bioceramic domes mimic the natural light, water, and electromagnetic environment. The design uses earthing floors, natural spectrum light, and vortex water to restore the conditions that humans evolved with on Earth. Bioceramics reflect >80% of radiant heat and emit high far-infrared light. Professional athletes are now using bioceramic powders in clothing because the far-infrared light catalyzes the body's natural healing process.
*The statements above represent our goals and what we believe to be true. Bioceramic domes are in development.The Problem
Unaffordable
In 2020 we had record housing shortages, and record numbers of homeowners severely cost-burdened (source). The median price of a single family home in California topped $800,000 in 2021, an alarming 10.7x median household income. (source)
Unsustainable and Unsafe
Building construction and operation accounts for 40% of global CO2 emissions (source). Construction projects generate up to 40% of landfill waste in the US (source). In 2017, 16 separate disaster events occurred in the US, totaling over $300b in damage. Resiliency becomes the new sustainability after years of record-breaking extreme weather events. A month earlier Hurricane Harvey in Florida damaged or destroyed over 200,000 homes and took 88 lives (source of disaster statistics - climate.gov) A single California fire in November 2018 resulted in 18,804 destroyed structures and 85 deaths (source).
Unhealthy
Nearly half of all Americans suffer from at least one chronic disease (source). The Toxic Substances Control Act was enacted by the EPA in 1976, but it's updated so rarely that experts refer to it as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" (source). Is this rise in chronic disease related to the buildings we live in — the potentially toxic chemicals, mold growth, poor ventilation, artificial light, electromagnetic radiation, contaminated water, and disconnection from the Earth?
Disconnected
The former US Surgeon General has declared loneliness (weak social connections) as the fastest-growing public health crisis, roughly the same impact as smoking 15 cigarettes a day (source). Is the way we design our homes and communities contributing to loneliness? Zoning that's limited to detached single-family housing is practically gospel in America, but officials across the nation are starting to make seemingly heretical moves. Laws have recently passed in multiple states that essentially ban single family zoning.
Mark Lakeman, a national leader in the development of sustainable public places tells a story about the Roman Grid: "Our gridded street pattern, a result of the grid laid out by the US Congress in the Land Ordinance of 1785, was developed by the Roman army as a means to control a conquered territory. This imposed pattern has suppressed our natural impulse to gather with our community."
The Solution
Over the last decade, the electric vehicle industry has revolutionized microfactory automation technology and paved the way for homebuilding to become automated.
Bioceramic material cures very quickly. The components can be de-molded in minutes and packed for shipping in highly automated factories.
Today, real estate developers build housing communities then sell to individual homebuyers. We turn the tables and put the homebuyers in charge. The Geoship village building platform will enable people to form communities and democratize the design/build of hyper-local, self-reliant villages.
*The above image is an artistic representation of a future product. Product is still currently under development.
The Geoship cooperative model brings Customers and Nature into co-ownership and co-governance with our Crew and Investors.
Cooperative Advantages:
Business Model
Geoship starts with manufacturing two domes sizes that connect into many configurations. We evolve beyond domes into a new paradigm of geometric ceramic homes that maximize efficiency.
Ceramic components are mass manufactured in automated factories. The parts are packed, shipped to the building site, and easily installed by certified contractors or owner-builders. Delivery, installation, interior finishing, and mechanical systems are additional costs. We partner to build a product ecosystem around ceramic domes.
Geoship technology bypasses existing product and material supply chains. Roofing, tar paper, trusses, insulation, lumber, steel, concrete, adhesives, particleboard, drywall, paint, siding, and vapor barrier products are all replaced with ceramic components. Gross margins are high.
The Geoship village building platform is a market network for communities to democratize the design/build process. Customers will meet a global network of makers, designers, and service providers, including community resilience coaches, permaculturists, planners, real estate/land trust agents, and investors.
*The Geoship Market Network is not currently available. Product is still currently under development.
We blend ceramic materials for distribution to commercial and retail customers. Geoship vertically integrates into green mining, waste stream reclamation, and ceramic recycling — a cradle to cradle ceramic construction materials company.
The Market
ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) builds are surging as states reform zoning laws across the United States. California ADU permits skyrocketed by 1,100% in the last three years (source). In September 2021, California banned single-family zoning state-wide (source).
Geoship bioceramic homes uniquely meet the need for affordable housing, green housing, and wellness housing — enormous, underserved markets.
People want something different in housing. The #1 rental on Airbnb is a small geodesic dome in the woods (source). We have many pre-orders for backyard creative studios, ecologically and spiritually focused retreat centers, eco-villages, exotic hoteliers, glamping villages, and anywhere people want housing that is different and emblematic of a positive future vision.
The pandemic and housing affordability crisis’ drives people into areas with a higher risk of fires and floods. Floods endanger over 40 million American homes (source), and some 11 million people live in high-risk wildfire areas in California alone (source).
Affordable Regenerative Villages For Cultural Creatives
Represented by the geodesic dome, Buckminster Fuller’s understanding of geometry was deeply inspired by the natural world. The geodesic dome has become emblematic of reconnecting with nature and living differently. Many Cultural Creatives are looking for regenerative housing with healthy materials, efficient sizes, and community orientation.
*The above image is an artistic representation of a future product. Product is still currently under development.
Our Traction
*The above image is an artistic representation of a future product. Product is still currently under development.
Our Vision
Our vision is to create tools for the people to build regenerative villages and reduce the cost of housing back down to 2.5x median income.
Significant long term trends converge to create the Geoship market:
The massive unmet demand for housing
A critical need to reduce the ecological impact of housing
The seachange toward more conscious and healthy living
Several 21st-century technological breakthroughs enable our vision:
Low carbon geopolymers and cellular ceramics
Computer automated milling and printing
Microfactory automation
Recent legislation pushes the door wide open for Geoship. Thanks to the reformation of century-old zoning laws, backyard dwellings and community developments are now possible on lots previously zoned for single families (source).
Geoship presents homes for the domeless in community partnership with Zappos, The City Repair Project, and others.
Why Invest
Geoship offers a powerful solution to affordable housing, the climate emergency, and community building. Our innovative building design is compatible with automated mass manufacturing. Let’s catalyze human progress toward a regenerative future.
We plan to begin manufacturing in California, then scale worldwide through a cooperative partnership model. We will license our evolutionary brand, product design, market network, and manufacturing technology to partners who will bring the capital and talent to start their own factories.
We chose equity crowdfunding because we believe Geoship should start as an actual grass roots project. With the $1.07m we raised on StartEngine in 2020, we completed our first full-size prototype and secured pre-orders for more domes than we can manufacture in the next several years.
With this fundraise we will dramatically increase market awareness, while installing permitted domes for customers. Homebuilding technology companies who are just 1-2 years ahead of Geoship are raising capital at multi-billion dollar valuations. We are directly addressing multiple Sustainable Development Goals, and plan to on-board big purpose-aligned capital partners in the future.
A REGULATION CROWDFUNDING (“REG. CF”) OFFERING SUCH AS THIS ONE CANNOT BE RESOLD FOR ONE YEAR. THIS MEANS THAT EVEN IF THE COMPANY SUCCESSFULLY LISTS ON STARTENGINE SECONDARY, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO QUOTE YOUR SECURITIES PURCHASED IN THIS OFFERING FOR SALE UNTIL AT LEAST ONE YEAR AFTER THE PURCHASE HAS OCCURRED. ADDITIONALLY, WHILE THE COMPANY HAS SIGNED A QUOTATION AGREEMENT TO TRADE THE SECURITIES OFFERED ON STARTENGINE SECONDARY’S NEW ALTERNATIVE TRADING SYSTEM (THE “ATS”), A COMPANY THAT INTENDS TO BE QUOTED ON THE MARKETPLACE WILL BE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS WHICH THE COMPANY MAY OR MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SATISFY IN A TIMELY MANNER. EVEN IF A COMPANY IS QUALIFIED TO QUOTE ITS SECURITIES ON THE MARKET, THERE IS NO GUARANTEE AN ACTIVE TRADING MARKET FOR THE SECURITIES WILL EVER DEVELOP, OR IF DEVELOPED, BE MAINTAINED. YOU SHOULD ASSUME THAT YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO LIQUIDATE YOUR INVESTMENT FOR SOME TIME OR BE ABLE TO PLEDGE THESE SHARES AS COLLATERAL
Are these fireproof, hurricane-proof geodesic domes the post-climate change house of the future?
Yet one submission dubbed "Homes for the Domeless" coming from the little-known startup Geoship looks to use state-of-the-art architecture, village-building principles and a self-help approach to forming communities and solving the homeless crisis in Las Vegas.
The domes are built from bioceramic—a sturdy, recyclable material that offsets CO2.
A revolution in safe, sustainable, affordable community architecture.
Homes For The Domeless
“The main thing that attracted us to Geoship was they have a very unique solution. It’s different, it’s thinking outside the box, it’s not your typical shelter proposal or even housing proposal,” said Tyler Williams of Zappos.
“We’re working to change the archetype of home to reconnect with the earth and build community”
We build transitional villages that embody powerful urban design principles — to strengthen the original agreements humans formed in the villages where we first came together — cooperation, community, and creativity.
Company | : | Geoship S.P.C. |
Corporate Address | : | 12394 Bitney Springs Rd, Nevada City, CA 95959 |
Offering Minimum | : | $9,999.98 |
Offering Maximum | : | $4,999,997.62 |
Minimum Investment Amount(per investor) | : | $381.00 |
Offering Type | : | Equity |
Security Name | : | Common Stock |
Minimum Number of Shares Offered | : | 3,937 |
Maximum Number of Shares Offered | : | 1,968,503 |
Price per Share | : | $2.54 |
Pre-Money Valuation | : | $54,309,192.88 |
Voting Rights of Securities Sold in this Offering
Voting Proxy. Each Subscriber shall appoint the Chief Executive Officer of the Company (the “CEO”), or his or her successor, as the Subscriber’s true and lawful proxy and attorney, with the power to act alone and with full power of substitution, to, consistent with this instrument and on behalf of the Subscriber, (i) vote all Securities, (ii) give and receive notices and communications, (iii) execute any instrument or document that the CEO determines is necessary or appropriate in the exercise of its authority under this instrument, and (iv) take all actions necessary or appropriate in the judgment of the CEO for the accomplishment of the foregoing. The proxy and power granted by the Subscriber pursuant to this Section are coupled with an interest. Such proxy and power will be irrevocable. The proxy and power, so long as the Subscriber is an individual, will survive the death, incompetency and disability of the Subscriber and, so long as the Subscriber is an entity, will survive the merger or reorganization of the Subscriber or any other entity holding the Securities. However, the Proxy will terminate upon the closing of a firm-commitment underwritten public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 covering the offer and sale of Common Stock or the effectiveness of a registration statement under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 covering the Common Stock.
*Maximum Number of Shares Offered subject to adjustment for bonus shares. See Bonus info below.
Investment Incentives and Bonuses*
FREEDOOOOOOME!!! PERK
If we reach our $5 million dollar goal — 3 Investors will be selected to receive one free bioceramic dome.*
*Terms
1) One entry for every share purchased through this StartEngine campaign.
2) Winners will be selected through a selection process that will begin within 180 days of completion of this fundraise.
3) Domes delivered after the start of full-scale production.
4) Award of Geoship Bioceramic Dome is contingent upon Geoship successfully starting production.
Time-Based
HELLO LIGHT
Invest in the first 24 hours and receive 54% bonus shares.
FUTURE REMEMBERING
Invest in the first week and receive 45% bonus shares.
LUMINOUS COMMUNITY
Invest within the first 3 weeks and receive 33% bonus shares.
FUTURE ARCHITECT
Invest within the first 5 weeks and receive 21% bonus shares.
REGENERATIVE VILLAGE BUILDER
Invest within the first 7 weeks and receive 16% bonus shares.
WORLD WEAVER
Invest within the first 9 weeks and receive 9% bonus shares.
Amount-Based
I AM | $999+
Invest $999+ to move up in the pre-order queue* and receive a $333 dome discount.
EARTHIAN | $9,999+
Invest $9,999+ to move further up in the pre-order queue* and receive a $3,333 dome discount.
LIVE IN HARMONY | $33,333+
Invest $33,333+ to move even further up in the pre-order queue* and receive an $11,111 dome discount.
*Requires placing a refundable preorder deposit on the Geoship website. 2020 Geoship StartEngine investors, who have also made a preorder (approx 200 people), will stay ahead of all new investors.
*All perks occur when the offering is completed.
The 10% StartEngine Owners' Bonus
Geoship S.P.C. will offer 10% additional bonus shares for all investments that are committed by investors that are eligible for the StartEngine Crowdfunding Inc. OWNer's bonus.
This means eligible StartEngine shareholders will receive a 10% bonus for any shares they purchase in this offering. For example, if you buy 100 shares of Common Stock at $2.54 / share, you will receive 110 shares of Common Stock , meaning you'll own 110 shares for $254. Fractional shares will not be distributed and share bonuses will be determined by rounding down to the nearest whole share.
This 10% Bonus is only valid during the investors eligibility period. Investors eligible for this bonus will also have priority if they are on a waitlist to invest and the company surpasses its maximum funding goal. They will have the first opportunity to invest should room in the offering become available if prior investments are cancelled or fail.
Investors will only receive a single bonus, which will be the highest bonus rate they are eligible for.
A crowdfunding investment involves risk. You should not invest any funds in this offering unless you can afford to lose your entire investment. In making an investment decision, investors must rely on their own examination of the issuer and the terms of the offering, including the merits and risks involved. These securities have not been recommended or approved by any federal or state securities commission or regulatory authority. Furthermore, these authorities have not passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this document. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission does not pass upon the merits of any securities offered or the terms of the offering, nor does it pass upon the accuracy or completeness of any offering document or literature. These securities are offered under an exemption from registration; however, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not made an independent determination that these securities are exempt from registration.
Insiders have invested $394.34 in the offering. This investment was made by the Geoship team to test the investor experience. Regulations require us to post this notice.
Please refer to the Company’s offering materials for further information and refer to the Company’s Risk Factors.
[The following is an automated notice from the StartEngine team].
Hello! Recently, a change was made to the Geoship offering. Here's an excerpt describing the specifics of the change:
Campaign is extending by 60 days and updating 2020/2021 financials
When live offerings undergo changes like these on StartEngine, the SEC requires that certain investments be reconfirmed. If your investment requires reconfirmation, you will be contacted by StartEngine via email with further instructions.
The world celebrates Earth Day annually on April 22. This year the organizers chose "Invest in Our Planet" as the event theme. On the Earth Day page, the conversation is about how we can channel our personal and public financial resources into meaningful action.
Yes, our bioceramic domes certainly reduce the environmental impact of building, operating, and maintaining homes. Additionally, we have charted a course for Geoship to decentralize into a Multi-Stakeholder Cooperative.
In a Multi-Stakeholder Cooperative, customers, investors, workers, and Earth all have equity, so the business aims to maximize value for each of those stakeholders.
Geoship will be one of the first companies to issue equity to Earth, because being in harmony with nature is at the core of our social purpose. For a real-world example of how political entities are beginning to recognize the personhood of nature — affording rivers and mountains legal rights — we offer this beautiful article about a voice for nature.
If you are looking for a great way to invest your money into our planet, then invest in our mission to manufacture affordable sustainable housing for everybody!
"There’s a revolution that needs to happen and it starts from inside each one of us. We need to wake up and fall in love with Earth. We’ve been homo sapiens for a long time. Now it’s time to become homo conscious. Our love and admiration for the Earth has the power to unite us and remove all boundaries, separation and discrimination. Centuries of individualism and competition have brought about tremendous destruction and alienation. We need to re-establish true communication–true communion–with ourselves, with the Earth, and with one another, as children of the same mother. We need more than new technology to protect the planet. We need real community and cooperation."
~ Thich Nhat Hanh
We took design cues from the manzanita, a prolific plant in our ecoregion, when we colored the dome prototype. Named "little apple" in Spanish, manzanita is a small tree characterized by smooth reddish-brown bark (seams, mortar), chalky green leaves (panels and window frames), and dainty pink blossoms that hang like lanterns (footing).
I carried a manzanita branch into the materials lab, where we worked to match the color of the mortar to the branch. Using three different mineral pigments, we mixed, played and tested until the color looked like manzanita. In the future, we can apply the same concept, mixing primary colors and other indigenous aggregates into the ceramic, to achieve any desired look.
Customers will be able to customize their dome to match their landscape!
In Service,
Jared & the Geoship crew
"I love it. I love the color of this one.
Because as soon as you said manzanita,
you can tell right away that it [fits
into the landscape]"
– Owen L.
In Plato's Timaeus, he describes an ideal etheric body — composed of 120 right triangles — that "organizes all matter, above and below. A vibrating, invisible, feminine 'container for becoming'. A single living creature that contains all living creatures within it — Gaia." The ley lines that encircle the earth form a geodesic energy grid.
Last week Amber and Owen visited us to tour the Geoship Dome Prototype. We asked them about their initial impressions, and they told us that they loved the calm, natural feeling of the dome and how it felt soft and different.
"It's beautiful. And, there is so much value to beauty and being surrounded by beauty. You can see it when you are approaching it, even from far away. You see it when you are inside too. Like, what's the point of life if we are not creating beauty?" —Amber
Check out this walk through of our small dome!
The #1 rental, of all time, on Airbnb is a small geodesic dome. Geodesic domes are booked out years in advance on home sharing platforms....because people want something different. Fortunately, with bioceramic domes different will also mean affordable, sustainable, healthy, and resilient.
We hope you join our mission to build affordable regenerative housing on a global scale.
Follow this link for an animated walk through of the dome model below:
https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/geoship-studio-dome-v01-67d2f56b93244bf0971560c006e800e1
In the future we won't live in boxes
Happy Dome Days!
Here we see three of our crew members in high spirits after completing the shell of our first dome. On the left and right we see Adam and Morgan, two of our three founders, and brothers, who we know have been dreaming of the day to see a Geoship glisten in the sun! In the middle we see Jared, one of our engineering crew, excited to see the world's first all ceramic geodesic dome shine!
#geoship #regenerativearchitecture #sustainability #affordablehousing #climatechange
This Friday will be the beginning of many livestream Q&A’s that we host about Geoship. There is much to share about the product design, manufacturing technology, material science, installation process, the village building platform, and our cooperative model.
Register for the webinar at www.geoship.is/live and submit your questions beforehand to love@geoship.is.
The exterior of our dome prototype is complete! This is an 18' foot dome located on our land in Nevada County, California. The ceramic panels and seams are intentionally colored to mirror the native Manzanita trees that are nestled around it.
Geodesic domes have been built for decades, but this is the world's first ceramic dome. The frame, exterior, interior, and foundation of this dome are all molded ceramic components that can be manufactured with incredibly high speed and quality.
Our hope is that ceramic dome technology can open the door to manufacturing affordable, sustainable, and healthy homes for billions of people.
I am planning to give a Live Q&A at the dome site on Friday March 11th to answer your questions!
Here's the regenerative future,
Morgan
Geoship Co-Founder/CEO
The Apple 1 computer was hand made out of wood and introduced in 1976. The small Apple team of 1976 could probably not even imagine the computer they would produce 5 years later, let alone the computers they produce today. Apple’s mission back then was “to make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind."
We feel like the Apple team in 1976. We have a huge transformational mission, and we’re the first company in the world to move on it. Bioceramic domes and regenerative villages can redefine success in homebuilding, and unleash cascades of innovation far into the future.
Geoship is at a very early stage. Notable startups in our space such as Mighty Buildings, Icon3D, and Boxabl are only 1-2 years ahead of us. They are raising hundreds of millions in venture capital at multi-billion dollar valuations, and hiring thousands of people to transform the homebuilding industry…..and the level of transformation (and resonance with nature) is not nearly as total or as bold as the Geoship mission.
After many years of development we are approaching a monumental milestone as we begin sharing the first ceramic dome. We feel humbled by the opportunity and so grateful to the thousands of micro investors who have joined us!
Here’s to the regenerative future,
The Geoship Crew
"When I'm working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong."
—Buckminster Fuller
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