These days, many of us are seeking alternative housing in order to save money, as well as for practical reasons.
The housing idea we’re about to show you here is beneficial in many ways; it is easily transportable, it creates less mess and waste, and can easily be customized and changed. And without further ado, we give you the “dome house”, coming at a $3500 starting price.
The dome house is the most eco-friendly way to build ever invented. It simply uses air, as well as strong envelopes, which are highly flexible in size and shape.
The cheap building method was invented by architect Dr. Dante Bini in 1964, and it was the first to use air pressure to lift and shape reinforced shell constructions poured at ground level.
Dante’s son, Nicolo then upgraded it. He explained that the little bubble-shaped structures are constructed to be permanent homes, and have even survived dangerous weather conditions like earthquakes, ash, and lava on Mount Etna for 50 years.
Nicolo has revived the method to provide affordable housing for refugees and the homeless, but these constructions can also be residential, educational, commercial, resort, or built for storage as emergency shelters.
He said the following:
“With 25% of the world’s population living in sub-standard
shelters, this is where we feel we can have the most impact.”
More than 1600 “binishells” have been set up in 23 countries, ranging from ones 120 feet in diameter to little bungalows built in struggling countries.
They are being constructed with the use of inflatable concrete. The process starts from ground level. Then the walls are carefully being placed, and afterward, more concrete is added to create the domes, with the use of an air bladder that can be deflated when the process is finished.
Later, a pneumoform is inflated and the steel rebar is placed around its shape, which reinforces the whole structure. Then, concrete is poured over the whole building to harden it, and then you can have steel-reinforced concrete in the shape of the balloon.
The dome house comes in different round shapes, and it can also be made as a simple residential-style house.
Domes of up to 12- feet have been elevated in less than one hour using less than 1 PSI of pressure.
In addition, they are set up incredibly fast, and all the materials are simple and available. The balloon, “pneumoform” is even reusable.
“Aside from some special additives, our concrete mix can be sourced locally almost anywhere. Similarly our reinforcement is the same rebar you find sitting on the shelf of supply stores around the world,” Bini explained.
Would you be interested in getting a Dome House? Let us know your thoughts by joining the conversation in the comments and please share this article if you enjoyed it.
