Houses can be built in almost any conceivable form and size, stopping only within your imagination. But it is no secret that some forms are more favorable for the structure than others. Although many houses and buildings have a unique and original design, the vast majority of them are of a general nature - their faces are flat and rectangular.
Flat building structures are by far the most used today, but have geodesic dome houses also become popular since the 1960s? S and 70? S. There are numerous advantages for domed houses, which are simply dome-shaped houses, in part or in full. They are unique in appearance as well as in construction methods. The following is a list of positive attributes for survey houses:
- Sustainability. Due to the strength of the arched surface, in contrast to the flat, the domes are much stronger than natural disasters - earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and even fires. It is obvious that the materials from which the structure is made have much in common with it, as well as the construction method.
- Some manufacturers build what is called monolithic dome houses using a technique that includes an “air shape” around which structural elements are added in order to fix the dome. The air mold is pumped to establish the shape and size of the dome, and from the inside to apply polyurethane foam, steel reinforcement and cement finish. The outer coating is applied outside to complete the design.
- A monolithic dome is a dome that is built in “one part”, such as described above, and not one, which is a unified network of many triangular or hexagonal planes.
- Energy efficiency. Heat is lost and absorbed through surfaces that have direct contact with the outside. Since domes have the smallest surface area for a given volume, this essentially provides better insulation. A smaller surface area is equal to a higher R value due to the smaller surface area through which thermal energy can be transmitted.
- Environmentally friendly. Dome houses are extremely green in terms of the cost, necessary building materials, and future maintenance and maintenance. This goes hand in hand with the two points above. Since the sphere has the largest volume with a certain surface area, it is reasonable to assume that it is also the most economical in size and budget available.
- The dome house uses about 50% to 75% less materials to build than a regular house of the same size - taking into account the various internal walls, etc. In order to neatly reinforce the non-dome structure. And since the design of the dome is extremely resistant to winds and seismic activity, it has a relatively long service life, which requires very little maintenance. - Everyone works together to make it a very green house.
Disadvantages and disadvantages in dome houses
- Not much storage space. This is perhaps the biggest drawback for dome houses - the fact that for the entire volume that it has, the actual usable space in this volume is limited. Crescent space is lost behind the furniture, pressed against the wall of the dome, as well as the lack of stock along the peripheral borders.
- Both the original design and future additions depend on custom materials due to the unique shape of the dome. For example, the outer shell, often a network of triangles, requires a large number of triangles of irregular shape, which in most cases should be cut from rectangular materials. Any future improvements — additional walls, etc. — the connection to the dome wall must be configured to fit the curved contour.
- Higher cost of plumbing and electrical installation. Electrical circuits, plumbing and other service cables, as a rule, are installed throughout the labyrinth of walls and ceilings at home. But due to the minimum number of internal walls inside the domed house, all such wiring and plumbing must go a much longer way, adding the necessary raw materials and man-hours.
- Many joints are equal to many potential disadvantages. Without this, monolithic - it means “one piece” - the domed houses have many seams. Such domes are susceptible to damage to water and moisture through each of these seams, as well as to attack from the sun. Some designs use an overlapping face system that ideally protects the joints from rain, but remains partially vulnerable to thermal damage from the sun.
- Because of the extremely sealed nature of the monolithic dome, they are known to even too well sealed. This translates into a potentially humid, humid and sultry environment. Dehumidifiers are needed for monolithic domes, unless you live in an extremely dry region.
- Dome homes are not the best option for those who are going to resell sometimes in the future. As you may have guessed, this type of design is a fairly niche market for a few, not for many. Thus, potential buyers will also be limited.
- Social disadvantage. Not that these questions are necessary, but neighbors may perceive the dome house as glamor because of its “Starwars-like” appearance - especially when it is arranged right in the middle of a number of “house model” type houses. This can also be directly related to the above item on resale difficulty.
Finally
With the various pros and cons of the domes presented, the decision to choose this style of construction over the more common may be a matter of personal preference rather than a question what's better “Different people have different views and priorities, and both types have their advantages and disadvantages for them.
The alternative to go for one or the other is one and the other. You can experiment with a hybrid building style or have two separate small buildings adjacent to each other - one dome and one rectangle. It will still be " part green "And gives you the best of both worlds. - Just an idea.
