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Do you want a comfortable, affordable home that provides Near Absolute Protection? Then think Dome.
Monolithic Domes are thin shell structures that use the minimum of monolithically placed reinforced concrete to create strong secure and environmentally compatible homes, schools, industrial buildings, churches and much more. Structures that will withstand winds up to 350 mph, are imune to termites and other pests and are the only type of structure that the interior can be easily climate controlled. If you have a housedust allergy just keep the humidity below 50 percent and No Problem. Dome structures can be built quickly and depending on the level of inssulation needed can be cheaper than conventional structures of equal useable floor area. An everyday comparison is a fresh undamaged egg. For their size eggs are extremely strong. Try locking your fingers and crushing it, one end in each palm. Egg shells are weak in tension, a problem that domes solve with reinforcement, making them damage tollerant. When damage does occur, it is confined to a small area and is readily repaired. A simple, properly designed dome is able to withstand wind pressures produced by winds of 350 miles per hour. Winds far stronger than a Class 5 tornado or Category 5 hurricane.
The most destructive of the recent tornadoes that tore through six states, killing over 7o people in Kentucky was only a Class 4 tornado, well within the capacity of customized dome structures to withstand. If all the structures in the 200 mile long and up to two-mile-wide path of destruction of the primary tornado had been domes, any loss of life would have been confined to those caught outside, and major property loss confined to items not protected by domes. Cars in attached or detached dome garages would have been undamaged.
To illistrate Monolithic Domes’ damage tolerance a three-ton flatbed parked on a hill reportedly rolled down the hill, through a fence and struck a dome home. If it had been a conventional home it would have ended up inside it. As it was there was a slight dent in the structure. Another structure, built to protect combines and other large farm equipment during Idaho winters, was ordered demolished by the farm’s new owner. The contractor engaged to demolish it reportedly said “No problem, I’ll have it down in a day.” Unfortunately for him the bucket of his seven-yard loader barely marred the dome’s surface. He brought in his crane with it’s large wrecking ball. The concrete walls of Monolithic domes are thin, generally from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches thick for smaller domes and one to two inches thicker for medium-sized domes, up to 60 or 80 feet in diameter. The wrecking ball penetrated the dome, so much so that in a couple of days it apparently looked rather like a huge dome of swiss cheese. It took the contractor a week to demolish the structure.
If all the structures in Kentucky and neighboring states had been domes, there would have been damage. Windows are easily broken by flying objects and uprooted trees at 100 mph can penetrate, but none would have been destroyed and holes in this type of structure are repairable.
We also see homes burning due to out of control grass and forest fires. Domes are made of concrete, they don’t burn, and rarely do such fast moving fires cause any significant damage to the concrete structure.
Domes, with their usual amount of insulation, are extremely energy efficient. The energy savings can pay for the structure several times over during its lifetime. Domes are the only type of structure recognized by FEMA as able to provide near-absolute protection. They are used to store bulk quantities of materials that are damaged when exposed to moisture or even humidity. If a dome’s doors and windows are sealed the air inside has to be refreshed and dehumidified to keep it fresh.
For a wonderful store of information on domes go to Monolithicdome.com, The company that first created them. They are located in Italy, Texas.
Now the big question. What do these super strong and durable domes cost?
Generally, the cost of a dome home is comparable to a conventional home of the same useable floor area with similar insulation and grade of appliances and fixtures. If you are in a climate where you can dispense with insulation, costs can be reduced substantially. Eco Shells, the uninsulated form of Monolithic domes are faster, easier and significantly cheaper to build, as the Airforms, used as formwork while placing the reinforcement, electrical ducts and then the Concrete can be resued up to 100 times. If multiple homes are to be built the savings can be significant. If you have a town to rebuild and the cheaper Eco Shell is of interest but you need insulation, contact SupportConsulting.net. They have a solution I think you will find attractive.
If you, or your better half look at a dome and says “No way would I live in that!” Go to Monolithicdome.com and really study the beautiful, liveable homes others have built. Perhaps get a free cost estimate and then caontact SupportConsulting.us and see what you or your community can save and how plain domes can be customized to match the tastes of each owner.