Most Popular Mandala Design for 2013
We are very excited about the year 2013 and the Mandala Tamarack. With many variations, this design is rapidly becoming our most popular design. Some client choices are: a complex for multigenerational living, using the center as a sun-catch for year-round garden space, a sacred retreat space, a natural pool and eco-courtyard in the center, an Energy Star dwelling, and home and home office connected living. These are projects that are deeply inspiring and match our company’s vision and values!
Mandala Homes Wins Prize
Best of Business Readers Choice Award
The readers of Kootenay Business Magazine have selected Mandala Homes as one of the Kootenays’ best! Find the news in the September/October 2012 issue of Kootenay Business Magazine.
How to Arrange Furniture in a Round Home: Designing Flow, Function, and Feeling
How to arrange furniture in a round home for beauty, comfort, and everyday living
” Nesting, homemaking is a major means of personal expression and development.”
~ James Yandell, former president C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco
We believe how you arrange furniture in a round home is about far more than practicality. It’s about how you live, gather, rest, and express who you are. A home is not just shelter—it’s an environment that supports well-being, creativity, and connection.
One of the most common questions we hear is: “How do you arrange furniture in a round home?”
The answer often surprises people—in the best possible way.
Key Takeaways: Arranging Furniture in a Round Home
- Mandala homes are faceted, not curved—making furniture placement intuitive
- Standard furniture fits easily against wall panels
- Round layouts naturally support flexible zones and flow
- Furniture can be rearranged effortlessly for gatherings, work, or quiet retreat
- The round form enhances comfort, acoustics, and energy efficiency
Mandala Homes Aren’t Perfectly Round—and That’s the Secret
I’ll tell you a not-so-secret secret…
Mandala’s aren’t precisely round!
Yes, it’s true. Mandala’s are designed as a pattern of facets that culminate in a round over-all shape. A little like a flower – individual petals forming a harmonious whole.
This design choice is intentional—and incredibly practical.
Why Faceted Walls Matter for Furniture Placement
- Tables, dressers, hutches, and cabinets sit flush against walls
- No awkward gaps or wasted space
- Standard-sized furniture fits beautifully
- Built-ins and storage feel natural, not forced
You get all the health, energy, and aesthetic benefits of round living without sacrificing functionality.
How to Arrange Furniture in a Round Home Room by Room
Bedrooms: Calm, Grounded, and Practical
In our multi-round designs—such as interconnected layouts—you’ll often see beds aligned against interior walls, with dressers fitting neatly into exterior wall facets.
Windows are embedded directly into the facets, creating:
- Balanced light
- Clear wall space
- A sense of calm enclosure
The result is a bedroom that feels both nurturing and efficient—perfect for rest and retreat.
Kitchens: Curves Where They Count
Some homeowners choose to highlight the round form more boldly, especially in shared spaces like kitchens.
A curved kitchen counter or island can:
- Anchor the central space
- Encourage conversation and connection
- Enhance flow between cooking, dining, and gathering
At the same time, cabinetry and appliances align comfortably with the faceted perimeter walls—offering the best of both worlds.
Living Spaces: Flexible, Social, Alive
One of the most powerful aspects of arranging furniture in a round home is flexibility.
In designs with generous wall facets around the perimeter:
- Plants, windows, doors, and seating create natural “zones”
- The inner circle remains completely open to interpretation
Want an intimate evening with friends? Pull the sofa and chairs closer together.
Hosting a workshop or music gathering? Widen the circle.
Need space for yoga, art, or movement? Simply clear the centre.
The room adapts to your life—not the other way around.
Zoning Without Walls: A Natural Design Advantage
Unlike rectangular homes that rely on walls and hallways to define space, round homes invite organic zoning.
Furniture, rugs, lighting, and plants do the work:
- A reading nook emerges beside a window seat
- A music corner forms naturally along the curve
- A dining area flows effortlessly from the kitchen
There’s a sense of openness without exposure—privacy without isolation.
The Deeper Benefits of Round Living
Arranging furniture in a round home feels different because living in a round home is different.
A Shape Humans Have Always Trusted
From Inuit igloos to First Nations pit houses, Mongolian gers, and yurts across Central Asia, circular dwellings have supported human life for thousands of years.
Why?
Because round spaces:
- Feel protective and grounding
- Encourage equality and connection
- Reduce stress and mental fatigue
Modern prefab round homes evolve this ancient wisdom using today’s most advanced materials and performance standards.
Comfort, Acoustics, and Energy Efficiency—Built In
The benefits of round living go far beyond aesthetics.
Superior Energy Performance
- Up to 20% less exterior wall perimeter
- Fewer drafts and temperature fluctuations
- Aerodynamic shape performs exceptionally in harsh weather
Natural Airflow & Thermal Balance
Warm air rises toward the insulated, domed ceiling, cools near the central skylight, and gently circulates back down—without mechanical intervention.
This creates:
- Even temperatures
- Lower energy costs
- Exceptional year-round comfort
Acoustics That Soothe
Sound waves soften as they move around curved walls:
- Quieter interiors
- Sublime sound quality for music lovers
- Reduced echo and noise intrusion
Signature Interior Features of a Mandala Round Home
When arranging furniture in a Mandala home, you’re working within a space designed to support both beauty and function:
- Free-spanning cathedral cedar ceilings
- Signature 5’ round centre skylight
- Panoramic views in every direction
- BC specialty wood interior trim
- Timber frame details that add warmth and character
Every element is intentional—supporting a holistic way of living.
Designing a Home That Grows With You
There’s really nothing that compares to the feeling of living in a round space.
Furniture arrangements evolve. Life changes. Your home adapts—gracefully.
When you work with Mandala Custom Homes, you’re not just building a house. You’re creating a living environment that supports rest, creativity, connection, and well-being for decades to come.
Ready to Explore Round Living?
Build your beautiful, holistic, and rejuvenating home with a Mandala Custom Homes prefab round home.
👉 Download our FREE Plan & Design Book or Contact Us to start designing a space that truly supports how you live.
Your Green Kitchen– The Natural Way
Tips for creating a kitchen that is healthier for the planet and your family!
Whether you are building a new Mandala home or wanting to improve the home you are currently living in, there are a few simple actions you can take to make your kitchen more green, naturally.
WHEN YOU ARE BUILDING YOUR NEW MANDALA HOME: Your designer will work with you to decide on the best orientation for your climate for the different rooms of your new home. The Magnolia 2300 (pictured above), features a due East orientation for maximum natural sunlight in the kitchen.
BUILD IN NATURAL VENTILATION: Include an opening window next to the stove in your home design and your have a natural method for ridding the kitchen of cooking fumes. A nearby outdoor room offers low energy consuming comfortable eating space and natural cross ventilation can keep your smelling fresh and clean.
CHOOSE NON-TOXIC FLOOR, COUNTER, CUPBOARD FACE FINISHES: The food you eat comes in contact with the kitchen counter tops and the air in the entire house is affected by off-gassing from the VOC’s found in the standard finishes used in construction. It’s extremely important to choose non-toxic and non-VOC finishes like beeswax, Land Ark and Vermont Natural Coatings. An added bonus is that these finishes smell like honey and citrus. Wonderful!
CONSERVE PRECIOUS WATER: When you are rinsing dishes or changing water temperature, rather then running potable water down the drain, catch the water in a stainless steel bowl or dish tub and reuse it to water plants, soak dirty pots, wipe counters, etc. Reuse water that you cooked vegetable in in soups and stews.
CHANGE YOUR OLD LIGHT BULBS: Good lighting is crucial for kitchen safety, energy savings and the comfort of your eyes. Kitchens are also a high-use room in the home. So, the best place to begin replacing your old incandescent light bulbs with new energy saving LED and CFL bulbs
LEAVE YOUR OVEN DOOR OPEN: In cool months, after baking, be sure to prop your oven door open when you are finished baking. This simple act ensures that you can use the residual warmth from the oven to heat your home.
GROW LOVELY HERBS ON YOUR WINDOWSILL: Plants grown indoors contribute to cleaner air, less toxins in the home environment and a happier, more beautiful home. When these indoor plants are edible , it gets even better! Choose a sunny sill and start with easy herbs like; thyme, basil, mint, bay leaf, and rosemary. Be sure to rinse your herbs before eating.
Sacred Geometry in Modern Living: How Mandala Symbolism Shapes the Ultimate Wellness Home
Discover how the ancient power of mandala symbolism transforms circular architecture into a sanctuary for health and wholeness.
We’ve seen it happen a hundred times.
A visitor steps into one of our custom round homes for the first time. They move from the cool stone floor of the entryway, through the translucent Shoji doors, and directly into the center of the home. Almost instinctively, their gaze lifts. Their eyes trace the wheel-spoke pattern of the ceiling, following them from the perimeter back to the central skylight.
In that moment, the "magic" of the mandala isn't just a concept—it’s a physical experience. But why does a shape have such a profound impact on our well-being? To understand the future of wellness architecture, we have to look at the ancient roots of the circle.
What is a Mandala? (More Than Just a Circle)
The word Mandala originates from Sanskrit, translating to "circle" or "interconnectedness." At its simplest, it represents the universe and the interconnectedness of all living things. It is the geometric map of wholeness.
While we often think of mandalas as intricate, colourful drawings, they are actually one of humanity's oldest symbols:
Paleolithic Origins: The first known mandala representations date back 30,000 years, discovered as rock carvings in South Africa.
Tibetan Buddhism: Here, the mandala is a "palace" for the mind—a meditation tool that guides the practitioner toward a state of "at-oneness" with the world.
Native American Traditions: Often seen in medicine wheels and mandalas, these symbols represent the soul’s journey toward healing and the balance of the four directions.
The Psychology of Round Spaces: The Jungian Connection
In the early 20th century, famed psychologist Carl Jung rediscovered the power of the mandala during a period of personal transformation. Every morning, he sketched circular drawings in his journal, eventually realizing these weren't just doodles—they were "cryptograms" of his internal state.
Jung believed that the mandala was a "Safe Haven" for the psyche. By focusing on a center point, the mind finds a sense of order amidst chaos. This is exactly what happens when you live in a circular home. Instead of the harsh, 90-degree angles of traditional "boxes," a round home provides a continuous, flowing environment that mirrors the natural world.
"The mandala is an archetypal image whose occurrence is attested throughout the ages. It signifies the wholeness of the Self." ~Carl Jung
Why Your Body Feels "At Home" in a Circle
There is a unique physiological response to entering a Mandala Home. We call it biophilic geometry. Because our bodies and the natural world (from cells to solar systems) are based on curves and spheres, we are hard-wired to feel more relaxed in rounded spaces.
We once had a visitor—a woman who had been struggling with chronic back pain for weeks. Moments after stepping into the center of our circular Great Room, she stopped, moved her shoulders, and exclaimed, "My back has stopped hurting!”
While we don't claim our homes are medical devices, the sense of awe and peace that comes from being physically inside a mandala building can significantly lower cortisol levels and reduce physical tension.
Bringing the Mandala Home
Whether it’s the rose window of a cathedral, the center of a sunflower, or the floor plan of your living room, the mandala reminds us that we have a center. When you live in a home designed around this sacred geometry, you aren't just occupying a space—you are living within a symbol of harmony.
In 2026, as the world becomes increasingly digital and fragmented, the need for a physical "center" has never been greater. A Mandala Custom Round Home isn't just a house; it’s a sanctuary built for the soul.
The Mandala Home Planning Guide: Visualizing Your Circular Life
Transitioning from a traditional square home to a circular "Mandala" layout is a shift in how you move, breathe, and interact with your environment. Use this guide to see how the sacred geometry of a round home aligns with your daily rhythm.
1. Define Your "Bindu" (The Center)
In mandala symbolism, the Bindu is the center point from which everything radiates. In a Mandala Home, this is often a Great Room or a central skylight.
For the Entertainer: Use the center for an open-concept kitchen and hearth, allowing guests to circulate naturally without "dead ends."
For the Contemplative: Keep the center open and airy, using the radial floor patterns to guide the eye upward toward the sky, creating a dedicated space for meditation or yoga.
2. Radial Zoning for Privacy
Unlike a hallway-heavy rectangular home, a circular plan uses "radial zoning."
Active Zones: Place your social spaces (dining, living) where the largest windows catch the most sun.
Quiet Zones: Bedrooms and offices are tucked into the perimeter "wedges." Because the walls are curved, sound travels differently, often creating quieter, more intimate acoustic pockets than flat-walled rooms.
3. The 360° Connection to Nature
A mandala is a symbol of the universe, and a round home acts as a lens to the world outside.
Passive Solar Advantage: With a circular footprint, you can track the sun’s path throughout the entire day. Plan your bedroom for the sunrise (East) and your primary living area for the golden hour (West).
The Infinite View: Without corners to "clip" your sightlines, a round home offers a panoramic experience that makes even a smaller footprint feel expansive and connected to the landscape.
4. Furniture and Flow: Embracing the Curve
Many people wonder, "Does furniture work in a round house?"
Built-ins: Mandalas look best with integrated cabinetry that follows the perimeter, maximizing every square inch.
Floating Arrangements: By pulling furniture away from the walls and toward the center, you mirror the "spoke" pattern of the ceiling, creating a natural flow of movement that feels intuitive rather than forced.
5. Material Harmony
To truly honour the mandala symbol, choose materials that ground the space:
Stone & Wood: Use radial floorboards or stone tiles that spiral outward from the center to reinforce the feeling of expansion.
Shoji & Glass: Use translucent dividers (such as Shoji doors) to maintain the "interconnectedness" of the rooms while providing privacy when needed.
Ready to experience the "Mandala Magic" for yourself?
Living in a circle is a bold departure from the "box" the world expects us to live in. If you’ve felt the pull toward a home that heals, inspires, and connects, it’s time to move from inspiration to blueprint.
Our Plan & Design Book is the ultimate resource for visionaries ready to build a sanctuary. Don't just dream of a centre—build one.
Request Your Free Plan & Design Book Now!
The Ancient Wisdom of Building Round Homes
Building Round: Rediscovering the Intelligence of Ancient Design
We believe that the homes of the future are rooted in the wisdom of the past. For thousands of years, Indigenous communities around the world have intuitively embraced circular architecture—building round homes. These homes reflect the natural shapes found in eggs, tree trunks, stones, and even the Earth itself. From the Southwest American Hogan to the Mongolian Yurt and the North American Teepee, our ancestors understood something deeply powerful: round is not just beautiful—it’s better.
Today, we blend that ancient knowledge with cutting-edge engineering and sustainable building science. We craft homes that are not only visually stunning but also more energy-efficient, structurally sound, and harmonious to live in.
Key Benefits of Building Round Homes
Superior Safety and Structural Integrity
The aerodynamic shape of round homes allows wind and water to flow smoothly around the building, significantly reducing pressure points that can lead to damage in storms or natural disasters. Unlike traditional rectangular homes with sharp corners vulnerable to wind shear, round buildings deflect wind and water with grace.
Our modern round homes are engineered for safety using advanced materials such as:
- Center radial steel rings
- Seismic and hurricane ties
- Steel brackets and bolts
- High-tensile steel cables
These components provide the structure with exceptional strength and flexibility—critical attributes in the face of extreme weather, earthquakes, and heavy snow loads. The radial design of the roof trusses, inspired by traditional yurts, creates a compression ring at the center and outward tension around the perimeter. This allows for long, uninterrupted roof spans without needing internal posts or beams.
Naturally Energy Efficient
One of the most compelling reasons for building round homes is their inherent energy efficiency. Circular architecture promotes a self-regulating thermal environment. As warm air rises, it travels along the curved ceiling toward the cooler central skylight, where it cools and descends. This natural air circulation maintains consistent indoor temperatures without relying heavily on forced heating or cooling systems.
Round homes also use 15–20% fewer materials to enclose the same square footage than rectangular structures. This saves on construction costs and reduces your environmental footprint and surface area exposed to external temperature fluctuations.
At Mandala Custom Homes, our Air Secure Technology™ (AST) system takes this efficiency to the next level. Through advanced building envelope design, we ensure that your home stays warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer and maintains superior indoor air quality all year long. Our clients typically see a 30–80% reduction in heating and cooling costs compared to conventional homes.
Acoustic Comfort and Serenity
Sound behaves differently in a circular space. Round homes offer extraordinary acoustics thanks to their curved ceilings and lack of corners. Inside, the design softens and disperses sound evenly throughout the space, making them ideal for music, storytelling, meditation, or simply enjoying the quiet.
Externally, sound waves from outside sources are deflected around the building, offering a natural buffer against traffic, wind, and other ambient noise. Whether entertaining friends or enjoying a quiet evening alone, round homes deliver unparalleled calm and peace.
Intelligent Use of Space
With fewer walls and no corners to break up the flow of space, round homes create a more open, connected interior environment. The layout encourages a sense of unity and togetherness while maximizing usable square footage, making round homes ideal for both compact cottages and expansive multi-level residences.
Because of the circular shape, there is also more opportunity to integrate the natural landscape into the home. Panoramic windows and skylights invite sunlight and scenery into every room, making the indoor environment feel more alive, spacious, and in harmony with the outdoors.
Emotional and Energetic Harmony
Many of our clients tell us that living in a round home feels different—more peaceful, grounded, and connected. That’s no coincidence. Circular spaces encourage a balance between looking outward at the world and inward toward ourselves. As yurt builder David Raitt aptly put it: “Circular living provides a balance of looking inward and outward, looking out at the natural environment and surroundings but then coming in again to the self and the hearth.”
This emotional comfort, or "curve appeal," adds an intangible yet vital dimension to everyday living.
FAQs: Building Round Homes
Are round homes more expensive to build?
Not necessarily. Round homes often require fewer materials and can be more energy-efficient over time. Mandala’s prefabricated system streamlines the process, reducing labour, waste, and on-site costs.
How do round homes perform in extreme weather?
Exceptionally well. Our homes are engineered with hurricane and seismic ties, radial steel rings, and high-tensile steel cables, making them incredibly resilient to earthquakes, high winds, and heavy snowfall.
Can I customize the floor plan?
Absolutely. We work one-on-one with our clients to design round homes that reflect your unique vision, lifestyle, and building site.
Are round homes suitable for off-grid or eco-living?
Yes. Their efficiency, reduced material needs, and compatibility with solar, water catchment, and sustainable HVAC systems make round homes ideal for eco-conscious living.
Build Your Round Home With Mandala
At Mandala Custom Homes, we’ve spent over 25 years perfecting the art and science of building round homes. Our work is rooted in traditional wisdom and driven by modern innovation. From British Columbia’s first ENERGY STAR-certified home to our industry-leading Air Secure Technology™, every Mandala home is a handcrafted reflection of sustainability, strength, and beauty.
Let us help you design a space that nurtures your body, mind, and spirit while honouring the Earth. Whether you dream of a cozy cottage, a spacious multi-level retreat, or a modern commercial space, your round home journey starts here.
Experience sacred, sustainable living. Experience the Mandala way.
Nelson ENERGY STAR Mandala featured by Yellow Blue Designs
The province of British Columbia can now boast that it has its first ENERGY STAR Qualified home, located in Nelson, BC. Magnolia 2300 (as it has been named) is the home of the owners of Mandala Custom Homes, Lars Chose and Rachel Ross.
There are many interesting (and green) features that make this home special. For instance, Ross and Chose rave about the benefits of living in a round home, a concept that is born in part from their interest in the green, slow home movement which stresses creating homes that are healthy, comfortable, and gentle. [Note, however, that it did not take them long to build the house as it is a pre-fab home, though this method ensured their impact on the local environment was minimal.] They describe living in a round structure as feeling embraced by the space, which complements their creative endeavours and feelings of tranquility.
The home is built with 10” thick walls, 3” of Rockwool insulation, and highly efficient windows. And it is heated during the winter using a soapstone hybrid stove made of cast iron, which is extremely clean burning and produces a lot of heat with very little fuel (especially given the passive nature of the home’s design). Plus, it burns for a long time (5 hours), and continues to heat the home for several hours thereafter for comfortable, even heat throughout the day and night.
The 1.5 acre property also features four Mandalas (round buildings). In addition to the house, they have also constructed a 300 square foot round studio, a round garage, and a round greenhouse. And though this home doesn’t meet Passive House standards (which would be far more rigorous than ENERGY STAR), it does use passive house design concepts to achieve even greater energy efficiency for heating and cooling.
Many characteristics contributed to this beautiful home’s ENERGY STAR Qualification:
- EnerGuide Rating of 84
- High performance building envelope, including R66 ceiling and R34 walls
- Domestic water heating system approximately three times more efficient than a standard system
- Heat recovery ventilator for fresh air with minimal heat loss
- ENERGY STAR qualified products, including windows, doors and lighting
- Plumbed and wired solar-ready
- Grundfos Magna circulator pump
- Radiant floor heating and heat sink
- Daylighting emphasized
- Comfort Wall system (monolithic air barrier)
- Platinum ICF foundation
- Thermal mass for heat storage
All ENERGY STAR Qualification features were verified by a third party. This means that a Certified Energy Advisor did an assessment of the home to test and verify that the home meets ENERGY STAR for New Homes specifications, as well as EnerGuide Rating for New Homes.
Check out their blog if you’d like more information about ENERGY STAR Qualification.
by Maryruth Belsey Priebe at Yellow Blue Designs July 3 2012
This House In a Nutshell
Welcome to our home! It’s the first ENERGY STAR Qualified home in B.C., which means that it uses 30% less energy to function as the incredibly comfortable living space that it is. This represents a savings of approximately 3 months of energy bills. The home has a passive solar design, 10” thick walls, “tuned” windows, and is wrapped in a 3” blanket of Rock Wool. This means that we can retire on a winter’s evening with the household temperature at 20 degrees Celsius and with no additional heating, when we rise in the morning the household temperature is 19 degrees Celsius.
It’s a ROUND home, which means that the house literally “embraces” the human beings who reside within it. It also means that the temperatures circulate in the space in a naturally thermal dynamic movement. We recently spoke with a woman beekeeper who reported that her group was experimenting with round shaped bee hives (as compared to the conventional rectangular beehives), she stated that the bees in the round hives were less aggressive, more healthy and produced more honey than the same variety of bees in rectangular hives. Just like the bees, we experience greater harmony, more creativity and more flow by living in our round home.
It’s an ART home, which means that it features many custom details like; Gorgeous exterior and interior Timberframing, a featured Japanese Spirit Post in the living room, an inlaid pebble stream in the entryway, a custom Bamboo marquetry door, Shoji doors throughout the home, curved hallways and stairwells, handmade handrail brackets, stunning built-in window seats, Italian Porcelain in the ensuite spa and a custom kitchen deck that is built around an ancient Ponderosa Pine tree. The principles of Feng Shui were used as guidance in the design of this residence.
It’s a GREEN, SLOW home, which means that, like in the Slow Food movement we have a focus on creating homes that are healthy, comfortable and gentle on the environment. Thus, in this home, the finishes are natural finishes, the floors are renewable cork, there are connected, covered outdoor rooms, the wood is locally sourced, every room has natural lighting and natural ventilation, and the countertops in the kitchens and bathrooms are handmade bamboo.
It’s a FAST, PRE-FAB home, which means that the wall panels were built off-site with the insulation, doors, windows and siding included. The set-up of the home was low impact on the site, low-waste, highly accurate and extremely quick, this means that no valuable materials were adversely affected by bad weather and the cost savings in reduced wages was significant.
It’s ONE OF FOUR MANDALAS on our 1.5 acre property, which means that we also built a round Studio (300 sq.ft.), a round Garage, and a round Greenhouse. This is a unique and beautiful project that we would love to share with you and others!
Nelson Star Feature Article
Nelson’s Mandala hits Energy Star mark
Rachel Ross (left) and Lars Chose (right) at their Six Mile home which they designed, built, has achieved a high Energy Star rating.
Sam Van Schie photo
By Sam Van Schie — Nelson Star
Published: June 14, 2012 2:00 PM
A Nelson area home builder has created BC’s first Energy Star-qualified house.
Lars Chose, founder of Mandala Homes, designed the home with his partner Rachel Ross. Built on their property at Six Mile, the couple lives in the home and uses it as a demonstration model for Mandala.
As the name suggests, all Mandala homes are round, which Chose said makes them naturally energy efficient.
“There’s less wall space, which means less surface area to lose heat through,” Chose explained.
The main difference between his house and the 65 other Mandala homes built since the company’s inception in 1995 is the thickness of the walls. With 10 inch walls instead of the standard six inch, Chose’s house has room for much more insulation.
And every appliance in the house, as well as the heat pump, water heater and ventilation system, are all Energy Star approved. The wood stove in the living room is built from soap stone to maintain its heat for seven hours after the fire burns down.
“If it’s 20 C in here when we go to bed and turn all the heat off, it will be 19 C when we wake up in the morning,” Chose said.
EnerGuide rated the home 84 out of 100, exceeding the minimum rating of 80 required to qualify as an Energy Star home. Homes built to code are generally rated around 65, and to get into the 90s a home would need to be completely off grid.
But more than just being energy efficient, Chose and Ross agree there’s something distinctly calming about being inside the curved walls of their Mandala, with natural light flooding in through a skylight and a wall of windows offering a panoramic view from their living room as well as passive solar benefits.
“I notice the way my body moves through this house. I feel lighter and more relaxed, and definitely very creative,” Ross said. “I never thought I’d use the word empowering to describe a home, but I do truly feel empowered knowing every part of this house we designed ourself.”
While home building projects are notorious relationship-killers, Ross notes the speed in which Mandala homes can be constructed takes a lot of the stress off. She and Chose moved in last March, just five months after they poured the foundation.
“If anything, building the house brought us closer,” Ross said. “I see this home as a container for a healthy relationship and a healthy family.”
Chose and Ross will be hosting a home tour of their Mandala this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 3234 Heddle Road in Six Mile.
All are welcome, no reservation required. In addition to showing their house, they’ll also tour their Mandala-style artist’s studio, greenhouse and carport.
http://www.nelsonstar.com/business/159102205.html
BC Wood Connections Spotlight
For 11 years, Mandala Homes has been designing and building pre-fabricated round and rectangular home packages in Nelson, BC and distributing all over the globe, with Canada and US being their main markets. Along with pre-fabricated home packages, they also sell decking, flooring, trim packages, pre-stained cedar siding, timber frame components and wood window & door packages. Mandala Homes, with their triple-bottom line business model, makes every business decision by taking into account the financial, social, and environmental impact.
Lars Chose (above picture), owner of Mandala Homes designed and built the first Energy Star Qualified house in BC. The 2,300 square feet home includes three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a workshop, two outdoor rooms, and a storage room. The house is finished with Western Red Cedar siding and trim and fir post and beams, while the interior is finished with Western Red Cedar ceilings, cork flooring, ceramic tile, fir trim, Yolo and Natura no-VOC paints, and no-VOC finishes from EcoCrete and Vermont Natural.
This green prefab conserves energy with deep overhangs, LEDs and CFLs, an HRV, thick walls (R34), an insulated roof (R66), fiberglass-insulated dual-pane windows, skylights, solar tubes, an ICF foundation, and Energy Star appliances. Rumin Mann
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