A NEWLY-BUILT house made mainly of earth serves as the latest tourist attraction in Barangay Aguipo, Mabini, Bohol.

Former residents Teresito and Marnie Malicse with daughter Sheelah initiated this endeavor as part of a project to refine and develop the barangays tourism potential.

The architectural innovation called Heritage House System includes a main house and an emergency shelter dome.

Heritage House is a long-term durable structure following timeless architectural principles with a foundation that is stable yet lightweight and flexible, allowing earth movement as well as powerful water and winds to go through and inhabitants to get out while keeping it affordable, the Malicses said in their press release.

The main house is made of earth blocks piled together and can be customized.

'Energy-efficient'

The dome, which is made of earth placed inside sandbags, can withstand an 8.2-magnitude earthquake, based on tests conducted by Cal-Earth Institute in California.

The dome, which can fit about 40 adult-sized people, is also typhoon resistant, making use of aerodynamic principles, which enable it to endure strong winds and rains.

We were piling the earth blocks after molding. Then it started to rain which lasted for three straight days. Nature will test it. After three days, the house was still standing, Sheelah said during her presentation of the project.

This type of home is energy-efficient with its high amount of thermal mass, keeping the interior cool and insulating it from the heat outside.

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Eco-friendly house built to attract tourists to Bohol