Dome brushless houses. Domed spherical houses

See what sketches and designs of domed houses can look like!

First, examples of house layouts are given, consisting of one dome, which is divided into different functional zones.

At the same time, one dome with a diameter can act as one whole room-house, an individual space for one family member. And the house - to be a complex of domes, united into a single common space. Below are examples of multi-dome compositions.

These examples are provided so that you can think about the location of functional areas in your domed and multi-dome houses, the assignment of rooms, taking into account your interests, hobbies, activities, as well as functional areas on your site. And create for yourself the best home for a long and happy life.

HOUSE 202 sq.m.

The dome house is a unique, powerful, energy-saving structure that provides tremendous opportunities for developing internal and external design and is a reliable and comfortable home.

Features of the distribution of light and sound, ergonomic advantages, non-traditional vaults for a dwelling, reminiscent of temples, fresh ideas in the design of all interior elements and, of course, energy saving also increase the value of the dome house. Of undoubted interest is the appearance of such a structure - the shell-dome easily fits into any landscape - a forest, a mountain slope, a field, without violating its natural harmony.

There are dozens of advantages of such future technology. We list the most important of them:

A sphere has maximum volume with minimum area.

- High heat capacity of the house, because the sphere has no seams.

— Very simple and efficient ventilation system.

- The surface of a sphere is approximately 25% smaller than the surface of a cube, for the same volume. Thus, a quarter less materials will be spent on the construction of a domed house.

- The dome house has low weight and high strength. Such buildings will be appropriate in seismically active areas.

- If necessary, all materials for completing the construction of the house can be delivered by two or three cars or by helicopter, which allows the use of such construction technologies in hard-to-reach areas.

- You can build entire architectural ensembles that harmoniously combine with each other.

The domed house has a successful functional layout that includes smooth transitions, such as from the kitchen-dining room to the living room, as well as closed rooms, such as an office on the ground floor and domed bedrooms on the second. However, there are no planning restrictions for domed house projects. The house itself is original and the layout in it depends only on the flight of the owner's imagination.

Architects around the world believe that domed houses are the future, and according to the French, they are among the most durable (such a domed house can stand without a general overhaul for more than 50 years). That is why we make these stylish and original houses, combining them with the concept of building exclusively from environmentally friendly materials.

house plan

HOUSE 285 sq.m.

HOUSE 245 sq.m.

A spherical house is a semicircular house, the frame of which is most often made of wood or metal. The most common type of frame is made of many parts of various lengths, forming triangles of various shapes, forming a sphere. Today we will consider spherical houses or otherwise domed houses using the example of frame houses.

The materials from which most often build sphere houses (dome houses).

tree;
foam concrete;
metal;
brick;
Styrofoam;
expanded polystyrene;
concrete;
clay.

Brick domed houses, monolithic, built of foam concrete or wood, are practically in no way inferior in their characteristics and durability to houses built in the usual way.

House-sphere, he is a domed house.

The advantages of spherical houses on the example of a domed house with a wooden frame:

Profitability. The frame of the house is much lighter, which allows you to save on an expensive foundation, which takes a lot of time;
The design allows you to insert a large number of windows, and this will hardly affect its strength;
The construction of a domed house takes less building materials, unlike a standard one, while the area of \u200b\u200bthe house is the same. Such a house does not have load-bearing walls, which, of course, is positively displayed on the budget.
High structural strength, due to the unusual shape in the form of many triangles forming a dome;
The round shape allows you to place the house anywhere on the site, whatever one may say, it will be round from any angle. The distribution of the load due to the round shape will be uniform, which entails the absence of dangerous places for people to stay indoors;
The design of a spherical house made of wood allows us to consider it environmentally friendly for living;
Unlike an ordinary house, the cost of heating and ventilation systems will be much less in this house, by about 30-35 percent.
In winter, it withstands heavy snow loads.
Spherical houses are most in demand in the USA and Japan, as they are located near water and natural disasters such as strong winds, tsunamis and hurricanes are frequent there. And houses of such a handicap are well blown by the winds and are less prone to destruction.

The main disadvantages of domed houses:

The semicircular design of the house obliges to make non-standard window and door openings, which leads to additional costs for glazing.
Furniture often has to be individually ordered and customized to fit the shape of the house, which also increases costs. With some ingenuity, standard furniture bought in a store will also fit into such an interior.
It is very difficult to calculate the construction of such a house on your own, so that the construction is proportional and even, you need to at least understand the 3D-level graphic programs.

To design the calculation of a spherical house on our website there is a special online program that is available on the page:.

Dome houses made of foam.

Styrofoam dome houses

One of the most interesting options for building a domed house is to build it from polystyrene foam or expanded polystyrene. Building a domed house from foam panels is very simple, you buy a ready-made kit, and in a few days the house will be ready, you can assemble it yourself, or entrust this process to professionals. The positive thing is that the foam will not rot or rust.

Construction of a domed house from foam.

On this pluses end, there are much more disadvantages. Styrofoam walls do not allow air to pass through, the house does not breathe, you will not be comfortable in it, not to mention serious oncological diseases that can cause phenolic fumes from foam products.

Another disadvantage is fragility, this material can be easily broken, without any effort.

If you decide to build your own house, it is better to use natural wood, as it is an environmentally friendly product given to us by nature.

House-sphere made of wood.

Benefits of a coniferous sphere house

Clean and healthy indoor climate;
Wood is an environmentally friendly material for a residential building;
The house breathes, living in it will be as comfortable as possible;
The design of the domed house made of natural wood is quite durable.

When building a house from natural wood, you need to use products and impregnations for treating wood from termites, rodents and bark beetles. Also, do not forget about fire retardants that will protect the wooden frame from fires.

Construction technology domed houses

Having considered the phased construction of the house of the sphere, the main positive points can be noted:

Rapid erection of the structure;
Strength;
The ease of construction allows you to save on a solid foundation, you can even use just piles.
Economical consumption of building materials;
Big savings on finishing work and heating.
Withstands wind gusts up to 250 km/h.

In this case, we are talking about the technology of frame construction of a sphere house from wooden beams, since this is the most common and most effective technology in most parameters. So building:

After the foundation is ready, a kit is brought to the site for the construction of a domed house. All components are neatly stacked, cut appropriately and numbered, thanks to which the assembly of the dome structure will be greatly facilitated.

The frame is assembled using special connecting modules and trivial bolts and nuts. The assembly procedure is so simple that two people and a set of wrenches will be enough. It is better to select and drill all places for connections in advance.

Connecting modules or otherwise connectors are perhaps the most complex part of this design. Most often, connectors are used in the form of cutting a pipe to which metal petals are welded at a certain angle to attach 5 or 6 beams to them. You can read more about what connectors are, how to choose them and make them yourself in a separate article:.

When the frame is ready, it is sheathed with a moisture-resistant material, such as plywood or OSB. Then the walls are insulated. In this case, waterproofing materials are used to maintain the level of humidity in the house. Due to this, the house will remain warm in winter, and in the summer the house will breathe.

For the construction of the second floor, no load-bearing walls are needed, this gives the imagination more thought for the layout.

One of the options for the second floor, load-bearing walls are not needed.

Now there are no problems with ordering windows of any shape in colors, so you can supply both standard rectangular windows and non-standard triangular, square, diamond-shaped windows, and even round ones, it all depends on the design of your home.

As a roof, you can use: iron, shingles, shingles, galvanized sheet and much more.

When building an ordinary, rectangular house of 200 m2, it will be necessary to finish approximately 380 m2 of its external surfaces, where the roof is 140 m2, and the walls are 280 m2. It does not matter what the material will be, brick or siding, the area will not become smaller. When building a spherical house, we have only 250 m2 of roof!

The last stage is the interior decoration and layout.

Due to the fact that in such a house there are no load-bearing walls, your fantasies are limitless, the layout can be done as you wish, and this will not harm the strength of the structure. You can make attics, isolated rooms, lofts and other architectural solutions.

Construction of a turnkey domed house

If you decide to order a turnkey house-sphere, then all the work on the construction of such a house can be divided into two stages:

Preparatory work. This includes the manufacture of structural parts, and their subsequent processing, marking and packaging;
Delivery of the finished kit to the construction site, and its assembly.

First stage of work:

Choosing a place for building a sphere house, taking measurements and marking on the site.
Drawing up a project of a domed house and coordination with the client.
Conclusion of a contract for the construction of a house between the customer and the construction company.
Preparation of a computer model of a spherical house with the output of detailing.
Production of parts and truss elements of the required dimensions for the frame of the house.
Production of parts for the exterior cladding of a house, strictly according to a computer pattern.
Treating a wooden frame with antiseptic and fire retardants, as well as treating metal parts with an anti-corrosion coating.
Pre-assembly of the house structure on the territory of a construction company.
Numbering and labeling of all parts.
Disassembly of the frame on the territory of a construction company and packaging of structural elements for its delivery to the construction site.

Second stage of work:

Building a foundation. Foundation works can be carried out in parallel with the first stage.
Bringing all communications to the right places.
Delivery of the finished set of the house to the client's site.
Preparation of parts of the house and their distribution on the territory according to the place occupied.
Assembling the construction of a spherical house.
Sheathing of the house from the outside.
Installation of windows and doors.
Roofing.
House insulation work and wall cladding from the inside.
Interior work: walls, ceiling, floors and room layout.
Finishing and plumbing work, connection of all communications.
Transfer of the finished house to the customer.

You can build a domed house on your own. To do this, you need land and a ready-made set of houses, which you can order from the ones already available from the supplier, or develop it yourself. Dome-type structures can be used not only for the construction of residential buildings, but also for the construction of other buildings, for example: baths, gazebos, a winter garden, outdoor pools, greenhouses, etc.

Swimming pool under a domed roof.

You can also use multifunctional complex dome-shaped structures for the construction of hotels, inns, sports complexes, and much more.

Complex of buildings from houses-spheres.

Spherical, domed dwellings have been known for a long time - yarangas, plagues, wigwams, etc. - built on this principle. They are distinguished by high stability and ease of construction, which earned the popularity of our ancestors. But domed houses in their pure form, as a phenomenon of modern construction, appeared not so long ago - approximately in the second half of the last century. When the American scientist Fuller decomposed the dome structure into simple figures - triangles, from which the entire structure is often assembled. It is on this principle that many spherical houses are built today.

Dome houses: technologies and their features

A domed or spherical house is the name of one building technology. Actually, the name reflects the peculiarity of this type of housing construction - the house is not rectangular, but is made in the form of a hemisphere. Or rather - in the form of a polyhedron, approaching in appearance to the sphere.

This form better withstands wind and snow loads, with an equal building spot with a rectangular one, it has more usable area. But in such a house there is hardly at least one rectangular or square room. At least one side will be uneven. This complicates the layout, decoration, selection and installation of furniture. Most likely, all or most of the furnishings will have to be made “to order”, according to your own sizes and sketches.

Domed houses are being built, mainly using frame technology, so that the construction is easy. The frame is assembled from timber or metal pipes, sheathed with sheet building material (plywood, OSB). Insulation is laid between the racks of the frame (polystyrene foam, mineral wool, foam glass, ecological materials such as jute, dried algae, etc.). That is, apart from an unusual shape, there is no news, the materials are selected as for an ordinary frame house.

There are domed houses made of monolithic reinforced concrete. But this technology is used infrequently, especially in our country, where lumber is sometimes cheaper. If we also take into account the need for good thermal insulation of a concrete dome, its unpopularity becomes clear.

With the frames of domed houses, not everything is so simple. There are two technologies by which they are collected: geodesic and stratodesic dome. They have their own characteristics that can influence your choice.

geodesic dome

The dome is divided into triangles, from which the polyhedron is assembled. A feature of this technology is that a large number of beams converge at one point. To ensure their reliable fixation, connectors are used - special steel devices that allow you to securely connect the elements of the supporting structure. Each of the connectors costs from 600 to 1500 rubles ($10-25).

A geodesic dome for a spherical house is built on the basis of triangles

Despite the fact that the number of connectors is in the tens or even hundreds, their presence greatly affects the cost of construction. Those who plan to build a domed house with their own hands try to do without connectors or make them on their own too. The reasons are clear, but with insufficient strength of the connection, the building may collapse under load. So with savings on this site, you must be very, very careful.

By the way, when using wooden beams, there is a connectorless technology, but the assembly of such units requires a high level of carpentry skill and precise execution. And one more thing: they are not as reliable as connections with metal connectors.

The advantage of this type of frame is its stable construction. With the destruction of 35% of the elements, the dome is not destroyed. This has been tested in seismically active regions, during hurricanes. This stability makes it easy to remove a certain number of jumpers. That is, an opening under the door, windows can be made anywhere, almost any size. The only thing to consider is that the windows will be triangular. In this design, there is no escape from this. For many, this is a critical shortcoming.

Another feature - when assembling the frame, without sheathing, it has good resistance to torsional loads, but does not perceive horizontal loads very well. Therefore, the frame is first assembled completely and only then it is sheathed.

Stratodesic dome

Dome houses of this design are assembled from sections of a trapezoidal shape. That is, its fragments are more like rectangles or squares. This structure allows the use of doors and windows of standard design. For many, this is a big plus.

The disadvantage of the statodesian dome is that it is possible to remove structural elements only after careful calculation and strengthening of adjacent structures. So the transfer of a door or window, resizing is possible only after the change in the bearing capacity of this section or even the dome as a whole is calculated.

This technology has its own assembly feature. The frame should be sheathed as the racks are installed. That is, the second row of racks is assembled only after the first is sheathed, the third row - after the second is sewn up with sheet material, etc. This is due to the fact that in the unfinished form - without sheathing - the frame has a high bearing capacity for vertical loads and is not very resistant to torsional loads. As soon as the edges are sheathed, it becomes very stable and reliable.

Unlike a geodesic dome, a stratodesic connector is not required to assemble. The vertical parts of the frame are connected using special-shaped locks. Horizontal jumpers are fastened with a plate, which is fixed with bolts, under which a metal plate is laid.

There is another nuance that affects the cost of a domed house. When cutting sheet material for a stratodesic dome, there are more scraps than with a geodesic dome. This somewhat increases the cost of materials. But they are offset by the fact that windows and doors are used in a standard design, they are cheaper than triangular ones. As a result, the cost of the dome of different technologies is not much different.

Advantages and disadvantages

No one will argue with the fact that domed houses look unusual. If you want to have a house or cottage "not like everyone else" and have nothing against frame housing construction, take a closer look at this technology. The solution is really non-standard. Plus, they say it's economical. The cost per square meter starts from $200. But as you know, this is the minimum price. Such an economical option.

Advantages of domed houses

In addition to the unusual appearance, the advantages of spherical houses are as follows:

By the combination of characteristics, domed houses look very attractive. In addition, many say that the construction requires much less money - due to the smaller surface of the walls, material is saved. According to mathematical calculations, the area of \u200b\u200bthe walls is almost a third less. But the savings, if any, are not so big - the construction is specific, using specific components that increase the cost of construction. In fact, the cost per square meter is about the same as with the usual form.

Minuses

There are also disadvantages and they are also quite serious. In any case, it is worth knowing about them and taking into account.

There is also an unusual layout, but it cannot be clearly attributed to the shortcomings. I like domed houses precisely for their originality. So the non-standard shape of the premises is rather a feature that must be taken into account when selecting / ordering furniture and choosing finishing materials.

Projects and planning features

It is far from easy to plan a round building in such a way that it is rational, beautiful, and even convenient. There are several basic techniques that most adhere to. The first thing that catches your eye is that there simply cannot be corridors in such a house. They just have nowhere to go. This is not bad, but the layout of the house becomes more difficult from this. Let's start with a simple one - how to arrange the entrance to the house.

Entry group

For our climate, it is desirable that the front doors open into a small room, and not into a large room. Saves in this case a small vestibule. About can be allocated from the total area or attached. Approximately the same tasks are performed by a covered veranda. This is a more "civilized" way to solve the problem.

Not everyone likes this approach. Today, there are other trends in the world - from the front door they get into a large spacious hall / living room. Such a layout is also possible, but additional measures are needed to cut off cold air - a thermal curtain near the entrance. It is made using convectors built into the floor or by installing several powerful radiators near the door. The first method is more efficient, the second is easier to implement. All these nuances are typical for domed houses. The only difference is that you have to rack your brains on how to fit the built-in vestibule. The other two methods are easier to solve.

Let's look at the input group device options with examples. In the picture above, the right project, the entrance doors lead to the living / dining room. This decision is typical for Europe and America. We are gradually gaining popularity, but due to the more severe climate it often brings inconvenience - each opening of the doors in winter brings a significant portion of cold air, which reduces comfort.

The option on the left is with an attached vestibule. There are two exits from the vestibule - one to the winter garden, the other to the kitchen/dining room. The solution is no less modern, but the problem of cold air entering the living quarters has been solved. So this idea is worth adopting.

If it is decided to make the vestibule built-in, obviously, you will have to allocate some area of \u200b\u200bthe house. The minimum is three squares (on the left project). It is logical if the living / dining room will be located further.

Another way is to allocate a large area and use it as a hallway. Place a wardrobe here, a hanger for things “for now” (draft law). If the area allows, you can install a small sofa. For a frequent home, the presence of an entrance hall is practically a necessity. Dirt and sand are less dragged into the house. And this is another argument in favor of a dedicated input group. Attached or fenced off - it's your choice. But the entrance area is convenient. At least in our realities.

Space organization

Most often, the central part of the space of the domed house is allocated for common use. From this central area you can get to all the other rooms, which are located in a circle. In general, the central room turns out to be uncomfortable, since it is “very passable”.

It will not be possible to relax in it if it is a living room, it is not very convenient to cook in it, if the idea comes to use this room as a kitchen, as a dining room it is also not the best option. Projects that use this space in this way are presented above. It looks great in the picture, but in real life you can’t count on a chamber atmosphere here. So the passage rooms are not the most inhabited.

Not the worst way to use this passage area is to install a ladder. After all, most of the domed houses have two floors, and the screw one just asks here. Just keep in mind that if you just twist it around the pole, it will be inconvenient to use - too sharp turns are obtained. If you design a staircase like a "well", it is difficult to build it yourself. So this part will have to be delegated to someone.

Otherwise, domed houses are planned in the same way as ordinary ones. The main rule to remember is that in order for engineering systems to be not very expensive, all “wet” premises are located close to each other. The location of bedrooms, offices and other "dry" rooms - to your taste.

From Bali to Korolev

Dmitry and Natalia first decided to escape from the bustle of the city in Bali. But instead of the planned two months, they spent only one there. “Not because we didn’t like it there, Bali was very cool. I just really wanted to return home and start active work here,” they say.

Even before leaving, the couple planned to acquire their own apartment, but after returning, the young people realized that they wanted to live in their own house. “In Bali, we lived in a villa. There you open large glass doors and without any steps or porch you get into the courtyard where a palm tree grows. This is how we wanted to live here. And upon their return, they began to look for a plot, ”the couple recall.

The site was found small, six acres, but not far from Moscow and in an ecologically clean area. Then it was time to think about the design of the house itself, and here chance helped. Once Dmitry and Natalya were driving by car to the Kaluga region for the Ethnomir festival. On the way, they saw that an exhibition of houses was being held at the Crocus Expo exhibition center, and decided to look there. At the exhibition, young people saw a stand with domed houses, talked to the developer and decided.

Technology

House-sphere - frame and consists of 20 load-bearing wooden beams. Both the outer and inner walls are made of wood, and insulation is laid between them. Outside, the house is shingled with larch. These are boards 40 centimeters long, layered on top of each other. Now they are yellow, but over the years the larch will turn silver and eventually acquire an anthracite hue.

“There are two types of domed houses: geodesic - made of triangles and stratodesic - like ours. Initially, this is a French technology, but completely rethought and adapted to our realities by a Russian company,” Dmitry explains.

Western technology involves the construction of a hemisphere, but this form reduces the height of the ceilings and the size of the living space. Therefore, the designers chose the golden ratio, that is, 61% of the sphere. Due to this, we got convex walls, additional space and high ceilings.

How everything is arranged inside

There are no batteries in the house, it is heated only by a water-heated floor. The conclusions for the batteries were still made just in case, but theoretically the shape of the house allows the heat coming from below to be evenly distributed over the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe building.

To heat the floor, use a boiler that runs on pellets - environmentally friendly wood pellets. “In terms of cost, this technology is comparable to main gas. Our site is located on a water canal, this is a water protection zone, so gas will most likely never be brought here. This winter will be the first, so let's see how the pellet technology will cope with it,” Dmitry and Natalia say.

In a house, it is impossible to determine where the wall ends and the ceiling begins, because the outer walls are round. At the same time, the internal interior partitions are straight, which allows you to arrange furniture without problems. The owners themselves thought out the entire internal layout. In total, four isolated rooms turned out, and out of 170 square meters of area, almost 60 squares were left to the air - there is a lot of free space in the house. “This is not very consistent with our Russian mentality - to pile up a lot of small rooms - but we do not regret our decision,” the young people explain.

When organizing the space, the owners were guided not only by personal taste, but also by the ancient teachings of Vastu, which Dmitry is fond of. “This teaching appeared even before Feng Shui. His idea is that certain rooms should be located on different sides of the world. Each room has its own energy, and it affects everyone who lives in the house. It is also important that the space in the center is uncluttered,” he says.

Some items in the house were made by Dmitry himself. For example, Ikea bowl chandeliers and a hemp table in the guest bedroom. Also, the owner and his friends assembled a boiler room for the house. And in the plans - a wardrobe and a green lawn on the roof.

Issue price

The final price of the turnkey house was 8 million rubles. “Our house is not a suburban option, but a place to live all year round. The price of such a house, compared with the cost of housing in Moscow, is quite acceptable. And for this money you get a house that you can immediately move into,” the owners say.

Neighbours

“Our village is located next to the vegetable gardens, which 40 years ago were allocated to people who worked at the plant,” says Natasha. - Mostly pensioners around. When we just started construction and no one knew anything, then, of course, there were various rumors: that the mosque was being built, that some sectarians were going to settle down.”

Despite the first reaction, the neighbors were friendly to the newcomers. “We immediately noticed the difference with the neighbors in the apartment building. Everyone came to meet us, they brought pies, shared their experience and advice, ”recalls the girl.

Ecology

The spouses are responsible for environmental issues - for example, they drive a Toyota Prius hybrid car, and in the future they dream of becoming owners of Tesla. “When you live in a city apartment, it’s hard with an electric car, because there is nowhere to charge it. And when you have your own house, such a problem does not arise - here you can organize your own charger, ”the spouses say.

When processing surfaces, the choice was also made in favor of environmental friendliness. “When we built the house, we did not order the processing of the walls. We decided that we would do it ourselves. And, to be honest, there was not enough money, because there are about 900 square meters of surfaces that need to be processed. Then we began to study the issue. It turned out that some kind of chemistry was offered for wood processing. It's either paint or some other non-natural finish. And we have already invested so much money in an environmentally friendly house that we really didn’t want to impregnate it with synthetics from the inside, ”explains Dmitry.

We are very imbued Balinese culture. Largely because it non-drinking nation

The search was successful - thanks to the Internet, we managed to find a company from Izhevsk that sells patchwork wax. This is a mixture of propolis, beeswax and gum turpentine, made according to the old Russian technology. A coating similar in consistency and color to honey is applied to the wall, and then heated with a building hair dryer. It penetrates deep into the wood and works as an antiseptic and also protects against moisture. Previously, log cabins were processed in the villages in this way. The mixture turned out to be not only natural, but also cheaper than chemical counterparts. In addition, the coating has a pleasant natural smell, which is felt throughout the house.

Rules of life

“We are very imbued with Balinese culture. Largely because it is a non-drinking nation - alcohol began to be imported there only in the last 10 years, when the island became a tourist destination. We also do not drink alcohol, moreover, it is prohibited in our house. All our guests know that the way to us with booze is closed, ”says Dmitry.

One of the rooms of the house, located on the ground floor, is rented out by the couple through the Airbnb website, while guests are also prohibited from drinking alcohol. “This is a good filter. Surprisingly, only people who are suitable for us in spirit, with whom it is pleasant and interesting to communicate with us come to our house, ”the owners sum up.

Photo: Yasya Vogelhardt

The domed house is quite complicated technologically. Building a domed house requires skill, and you need to think through everything to the smallest detail. And of course, you need a project. Is it possible to build a domed house with your own hands?

And from what to build? Most often built from wood. It is technologically possible to build domed walls from bricks and blocks, from panels and monolithic reinforced concrete. This unique house, shaped like a hemisphere or cone, does not require many building materials due to its design.

This is understandable, because the sphere, or egg, with a minimum shell thickness, withstands the greatest loads compared to other configurations, because this “design” by its nature distributes the applied loads in the best possible way. After all, this is not a plane that fights with the whole world, exposes itself to wind and fire ... but a sphere and set fire to the outside is difficult. Yes, and there is nothing new, remember a tent, a hut, a yaranga or a church dome. Okay, enough philosophy! The science of eniology is certainly interesting, and in the world domed structures are built and live in them, this is a fact, for example, the Japanese.

A practical question - how to build a domed house for yourself? Get the maximum amount of living space on the minimum area of the plot, save on building materials and foundations, and get a house that is durable, sustainable and energy-saving?

Advantages of a domed house

Unconditional originality and complete freedom in the layout of the interior space. Externally - the house is modern and aesthetic, natural as nature itself. (And the desire to live in peace with her is clearly expressed. Finally.)
Good construction speed and not the biggest cash costs compared to a stone or concrete rectangular house.
Due to the low weight of the house, the foundation can be minimized and taken on the ground. If the soils of the base and the behavior of underground water allow, then the foundation is suitable for an elementary one - an unburied tape. Technologically, the dome is a self-supporting structure, and therefore requires minimal building materials.
It is possible to build both in the south and in the north, if properly equipped, then the thermal efficiency will exceed all expectations. In the full sense of the energy-saving house. The area of \u200b\u200b"walls" and "roof" is minimal - heat loss too. One interesting point that often has to be overlooked, since it is difficult to deal with it - the powerful cold bridge of the house falls at the junction of its facade and roof, which the dome simply does not have.
The aerodynamics of the dome reduces wind resistance to a minimum - there will be no draft and heat weathering. No windage - there is resistance to wind loads. All loads are distributed throughout the house - the hemisphere evenly, and soil movements, as well as seismic events, are less dangerous. A hemisphere, even broken through at one or several points, does not lose stability and does not fold like a house of cards. For the instantaneous complete destruction of the hemisphere, at least the soil under it should open up.
Plus to the design - the harmony of form provides excellent acoustics and favorable distribution of light. It is always lighter under a dome, as the spherical shape scatters light, while the cubic shape absorbs it. Heat, light and sound are evenly distributed. As a result, passive lighting and solar heating can be actively used, which leads to savings during the operation period.

You can continue for a long time. So what are the specific requirements for the construction of a domed house?

The foundation of the domed house

By foundations. As already mentioned, due to the low weight of the house, the foundation is taken the simplest - a shallow tape, although any, pile or columnar, is possible. In the coldest areas, a Swedish insulated stove is worth considering.

Basic materials for the construction of a domed house

Let's take a closer look at a tree - dry or glued timber, the section is calculated depending on the size of the dome, snow and wind loads in the construction area. If the house will be sheathed both from the inside and from the outside, then the cross section of the timber must be further increased.

The main problem is the connectors. If the house will have a large area, you can not do without them. Wooden structures, assembled using prefabricated five- and six-beam connectors, are assembled as a designer, you only need to put scaffolding and a sliding ladder, mechanization and special equipment are not required. Connectors invented a great variety, from different materials. But home-made production of metal connectors in a garage, followed by anti-corrosion treatment with primer or paint, is unlikely to create conditions for long-term operation. A reliable connector must withstand high loads with low weight and high corrosion resistance; this requires a factory casting or stamping.

There is a modern assembly technology, in which the panels are made with the accuracy of grooves and ribs, which allows them to be connected into one whole with a minimum number of joints and without gaps. And for a domed house of small sizes, a connectorless installation method is applicable.

To protect against atmospheric precipitation, roofing materials will be required - flexible tiles or rolled materials are possible, as well as aluminum-based sheet materials.

The technology for building a dome is complex, but when compared with an ordinary house, calculations show a reduction in costs, both financial and time. This is due to the savings in building materials and the ability to do without special equipment.

Materials and tools for mounting a domed house

for the frame - a wooden beam, the section according to the project, but the minimum is 50 * 50 mm. Fasteners - screws, nails, self-tapping screws and so on. Insulation. Galvanized steel. Mounting foam.
for finishing exterior - roofing materials, preferably flexible, tiles or roofing material, depending on the construction budget.
tape measure, level or laser level, corners, rulers.
electric drill, jigsaw, hacksaw, grinder. A woodworking machine will save a lot of time with a good quality of processing parts.
screwdrivers, hammer, brushes, scissors for metal - the entire building kit is needed. As well as consumables and protective equipment - glasses, gloves. Everything is as usual, and each builder is guided by the situation himself.

The project for the house - the dome is necessary for the preparation of the main elements of the building.

Calculations are carried out by triangulation methods, directly related to the height of the dome. The dimensions of edge elements, the number of their standard sizes and the number of connectors can be varied by "increasing" the triangulation. The lengths of the elements must be chosen so that it is possible to buy dried boards or timber of a good grade for them, and then work with them safely and technologically.

The project can be ordered, but many builders, having knowledge of basic technology and design, compile it themselves, using open sources of schemes and projects and technical literature. At the design stage, the type of foundation, the dimensions of the dome, the required number of connectors, the dimensions and shapes of all cells, and the number of frame and fence elements are determined.

The device of the domed house

We give an approximate list of works on the device of the dome of the connector assembly

marking on the ground, preparation of the base is carried out according to conventional technologies. The vegetative layer of soil is cut off, replaced with a layer of compacted rubble, and then with a layer of sand. If the foundation is selected as a strip foundation, reinforcement and pouring are carried out according to standard technology. All communications are summed up at this stage. As a variant of the foundation, a support decagonal structure of piles is possible. The supporting elements in the form of trapezoids and the foundation strapping are assembled on screws according to the drawings.

for the installation of "walls" use elements prepared according to the drawings from a bar, joints on spikes and grooves, reinforced with screws. Door and window frames are also prefabricated and installed in place with additional strapping and fastening.

the ribs that form the main frame must be treated with an antiseptic and flame retardant composition. Then the lining of the house is performed from the inside. You can use regular plywood. For exterior decoration, it is easiest to work with roofing material, cutting it into triangles and fixing them on the dome with a melt of ordinary resin or glue. This layer will be waterproofing, it must be done with an overlap of parts.

a crate of bars is stuffed over the waterproofing layer, with a gap height according to the calculation of the desired thickness of the insulation, then the outer skin, the finishing “roof”, and the finish are made. Warming the dome from the inside is a more practical option. Sometimes they arrange filling thermal insulation of the dome - from sawdust. Water protection of such a design must be done very carefully.

flooring, installation of windows and doors, connection of communications.

The conversation was about geodesic domes. The type of dome, called stratodesic, differs from the geodesic principle, by simpler installation and fitting of windows and doors, the absence of connectors and cold bridges that they inevitably give to the house, and also by a much higher consumption of material, in particular, expensive glued laminated timber or rolled metal. But their strength is still lower than that of geodesics.

The question of the future widespread construction of domes - comfortable and cheap, is not only a question of technology. Perhaps this is a matter of ideology and new building systems?