Hidden on a 28-acre plot in the Hudson Valley, there sits a floating, pod-like spaceship of a home—that looks like it could take off at any moment. The structure is a dome home, the only one of its kind in the U.S., constructed from Patrick Marsili’s French design by owner Shiva Vencat.

The exterior is deceptive; it’s only inside that one fully grasps the openness and the vast dimension of the structure that measures 2,500 square feet. “It’s a very surprising effect,” Vencat says. While its shape is what makes it most unique, it also enables the home to be environmentally friendly and responsible. The dome sits on a steel ring which can rotate the structure to track the sun, making use of passive solar energy. “You can turn it [if] you want to have breakfast facing the mountain and lunch facing the forest,” says Vencat. He rotates the house twice a year, however, in summer and winter, to face away from and toward the sun.

The house’s long, trapezoidal windows reach up toward the dome’s summit, soaking up so much sun that on winter days, Vencat rarely uses heat. “It could be very cold out there and just the sun is heating the house, but the heater won’t kick in,” Vencat relates.

Vencat, originally from Mauritius and then France, learned about the dome concept from a newspaper in France. It had won environmental prizes in Europe, and he contacted the builder, dreaming of building his own. After moving to New York City, Vencat bought land in the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains 15 years ago, but did not begin building until 2000, and the house was completed in 2003. Costing $250,000 to build, the structure required an additional $250,000 for the interior’s custom design, necessary to accommodate the home’s curves.

Afterwards, Vencat invested in the company, becoming CEO of Domespace Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Domespace France Inc. Domespace Inc. is currently trying to find a market for these homes in the U.S., but would need to become real estate developers, Vencat says, to purchase land, build, and then sell the domes.

The dome shape has benefits beyond passive solar energy, he says. The frame is cedar, an innately sustainable material that is resistant to bacteria, mildew, rotting, and never needs refinishing. Inside, it is insulated with wood pulp and floors are made of materials from certified forests. Because it does not come in direct contact with condensation from the ground, it’s moisture free. It is also anti-seismic and hurricane proof, making it a perfect for natural disaster-prone areas like California, Florida, and Louisiana, he says. “It’s a very organic building,” Vencat says, “it actually moves.” The house may tilt during an earthquake, but can be adjusted back to its normal position. In extreme weather, wind runs right off, since there’s no frontal surface to resist and lift the structure.

An entrepreneur with an eye for the innovative and ecofriendly, Vencat started his career in metal and mineral trading and was involved in processing and mining nickel, copper, and cobalt, bearing material into intermediate and finished products. “I was in an industry that was not really taking care of [the earth],” he says. Vencat has since ventured into more ecofriendly pursuits, building compressed air cars in his role as CEO of Zero Pollution Motors. He also promotes geothermal and solar energy in India, and is distributing a filter from India that purifies or “dynamizes” water. “I’m trying to make sure we’ll have clean energy to clean the planet.” The common denominator of what I do,” he notes, “is trying to do things that can make money but are also good for the environment.”

The home’s curvature demands furniture and fixtures that follow it—the kitchen counter is shaped like a racetrack, illuminated by an overhead, bent light fixture made by local steelworker Jeff McKelvey. The curved interior necessitates custom-made furniture and built-in storage to maximize the space. Shelves are built-in, closets are also curved, and beds are tucked into the wall arcs.

The modern, minimal design aesthetic features clean lines, furniture and appliances in whites, creams, tans, and stainless steel. A small, black piano sits beneath the window, where Vencat’s eight-year-old son, Rohan, practices his lessons and composes his own music. Countering the modernity of the furniture are the accoutrements to any home with children—shelves full of books and movies, stacks of board games, and toys, like Rohan’s miniature car tucked behind the staircase.

The shape of the house also may contribute to some unexplained, mysterious phenomena, Vencat suggests. He sleeps better here than in Manhattan, and the orchids and plants that died in the city are now flourishing. Supposedly, the most beautiful aesthetic proportions—called “the golden ratio”—are found in the pyramids of Egypt, cathedrals, Da Vinci’s Vitruvian man, and in the dome home. This golden ratio is not just a measure of beauty, but of unexplained perfection, Vencat explains, recalling a test he did with a model pyramid and an egg. He cracked an egg inside the pyramid and it solidified rather than rotted. While he can’t put his finger on it, the home seems to contain similar properties. “There is some sort of resonance,” he says, “There’s no equipment to measure it, but something happens.”

While the house is certainly one-of-a-kind here in the U.S., it is like any home—a work in progress. Vencat hopes to put a fireplace in the center of the home, and he also plans to install geothermal heating, an indoor Zen garden, and a fish pond on the surrounding property.

But Vencat’s sustainable lifestyle and business ventures are part of the larger goal: to provide a safe and healthy environment for Rohan and future generations. He cites the Native American proverb: “We don’t inherit the earth. We borrow it from our children,” adding, “If we plunder the earth what are we leaving for our children?”