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Project

Dome House (International)

Credits: ©2009 International Dome House

Dubbed the “habitat for the 21st century,” the Dome House is an igloo-shaped structure built from snap-together wall sections made of 100% expanded polystyrene foam (styrofoam). It might seem like an odd choice of material for a house, but the company lists a number of advantages that styrofoam has over traditional materials. Unlike wood and metal structures, for example, the styrofoam Dome House does not rust, rot or attract termites. It is also highly resistant to earthquakes and typhoons. In addition, the walls, which are treated with a flame retardant, emit no toxic fumes in a fire. Dome House kits start at around $30,000 which excludes the cost of delivery, assembly and interior construction, etc. The Dome House is a modular system of parts that can be configured in infinite ways by combining units and arches. The building material for the Dome House is expanded polystyrene, "the fourth-generation building material" after wood, iron, and concrete. Having cleared the world's strictest building codes in Japan, the Dome House is approved by the Japanese Ministry of Land and Transport. The special expanded polystyrene challenges the prevailing common sense.

 

Dome Houses

The Antioxidant method of healthy building construction
By kneading "antioxidant solution" into expanded polystyrene, or the building material for the Dome House,active oxygen can be suppressed, resulting in the prevention of aging and the recuperation of your health. Also,because the Dome House is a formaldehyde-free building, you don't need to worry about sick-house syndrome.

Ultra-thermal insulating properties that enable energy savings
Because the Dome House uses expanded polystyrene as the building material, excellent thermal insulation can be obtained. Also, owing to its dome-shape, the Dome House allows the air to circulate by convection without being accumulated at the corners. For these reasons, air conditioning costs can be reduced substantially. The Dome House is an incredible ultra-energy-saving building.

Semipermanent durability
Not only is the Dome House structurally the most stable in shape, but also, unlike iron, it does not get rusted, nor, unlike wood, does not get rotten or eaten by termites. The Dome House offers a comfortable living space semi-permanently.

Gale resistant
The streamline curvature of a dome helps to dissipate wind energy.

The world's highest earthquake resistence
The Dome House is not only stable in structure but also extremely light in weight. It is because of this lightweight that the Dome House can withstand earthquakes.

Ultra-short assembly time
The Dome House can be built by assembling Dome Pieces. Each Dome Piece weighs only 80kg. Since assembly is quite simple, if performed by 3 or 4 people, it takes approximately 7 days to complete a Dome House.

Ultra-low cost
The Dome House is simple, since it is a prefabricated building with a small number of parts. Each Dome Piece is light and easy to carry, making the assembly quite easy. Because the construction of the Dome House requires only minimal manpower and a very short period of time, it is possible to reduce the substantial amount of labor costs.

Environmental measures
Since expanded polystyrene is made only from carbon and hydrogen, casting of expanded polystyrene is extremely clean. Construction of the Dome House does not produce any waste, nor does it involve any deforestation.

Your own layout of the floor
Regardless of the structure of a building itself, or as your lifestyle changes, you can freely design the layout of the floor, including the mezzanine floor.

The dome-power
The Dome House has no "corners" in the room. Not only are there no corners in the room, but also there are no borders between the walls and the ceiling. This bright open space suffused with light is filled with indescribable warmth and comfort.

The Dome House for Health Recuperation
Wrapping up the entire Dome House seamlessly with an antioxidant solution, the Dome House helps recuperate your health and enhance clean global environment.
What are the effects of antioxidant solution?
The antioxidant solution innovated biotechnologically solves asthma, rhinitis and other symptoms of "sick-house syndrome" and "chemical sensitivity syndrome", and catalyzes to suppress active oxygen which causes sickness or aging. As a result, the Dome House restores your health strength and you will less likely to fall ill. The Dome House has many other remarkable characteristics such as preserving food freshness, deodorizing and anti-pest (or preventing pests). The Dome House is certainly a feasible solution for the environmental clean-up, even globally.

Article from www.no1home.com
29 April 2009

You could think of a shelter for the homeless built from scraps of insulation material or waste. But if we call the polystyrene with a more technical name, and also more accurate, as polystyrene foam, things become clearer, although it could be the impression of living inside a bowl of food from the supermarket. The International Dome House Co. - the Japanese company which offers and produces these buildings - argues that this material has excellent characteristics for housing. Characteristics ranging from very low weight, the high rate of isolation (which translates directly into an ecological house low energy consumption for heating in winter, that cool in summer), going for quick assembly of prefabricated parts and the resistance of the material to the stresses of the environment. After all Japan is an area of high seismic risk, and that the houses do not burn and do not create heavy debris in the event of a collapse are surely useful. The recent earthquake in Italy there has, unfortunately, an all too obvious. Among other things, the speed of construction of these houses - a few hours - could be a solution for the displaced as a result of catastrophic events. The houses are in the shape of an igloo, and can call to mind the village of Smurfs, or any settlement on a distant planet in a science fiction film. But exist and are used for living in, for example, in the resort "Aso Farm Land" in the region of Kyushu, Japan using 480 of these domes as polystyrene housing environments for relaxation and sport and commercial premises. Each dome is assembled from sections of wall made entirely of dense foam, polystyrene foam that fit together and weighing eighty kilograms of the one are thick and just under 20 centimeters. Since the prefabricated sizes are standard and you get a house in circular with a diameter of 7 meters (or about 40 square meters). Possible to combine several circular structures, or build houses in elliptical plant, to achieve greater sizes. Nor is it necessary to have a circular, in fact, you can create structures using the special rectangular vertical walls do not curve. The limit becomes imagination in assembling the pieces in a kind of Lego architecture. Once assembled, the walls are painted and coated with plaster to make them real homes, which will be fitted with equipment and furniture. The results can also be very aesthetically pleasing. Doors and windows are obtained by allowing the wall openings that accommodate the fixtures. The interior can be developed into a big open space but also split with internal walls and floors that create additional plans and increase the living space. The price of the kit construction is about 25,000 euros, and certainly competitive compared to traditional buildings. More difficult to understand if a house of this type can then maintain its market value, even if its expected rarity on our territory could be an added value.