In August, mainstream media attention focused on the plight of thousands of Americans living in domes - most notably New Orleans' Superdome and the Houston Astrodome - after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina. For those looking to read a vastly more positive story about dome-dwelling, here it is: Cape Town-based N'Kozi Homes.

N'Kozi Homes' motto is "doing more with less" - they manufacture and sell geodesic domes (think Buckminster Fuller) as low-income housing. What N'Kozi does is build geodesic dome houses out of locally-sourced low-cost, energy efficient materials. The dome design is, in itself, incredibly efficient: by enclosing the largest volume of interior space with the least amount of surface area, they save on materials and cost. N'Kozi has taken it further - its basic introductory model measures 33 meters square, and could be erected with all solar panelling, lighting and plumbing included for around R2000 per square metre - or just under R66,000 (US$10,000) for a ready-to-live house.

Sound like an off-beat idea? The Age of Innovation and Sustainability Awards doesn't think so - they just gave N'Kozi Homes and founder Joseph Feigelson its Grand Prize. N'Kozi is looking to ramp up, franchising its technology and approaches to other parts of South Africa and throughout the developing world.