Concrete

Rob (my partner) did a workshop with Monolithic. David South told a story about when he built a 300 ft. dome, and an expert from a (very famous) cement works told him it was unnecessary to use rebar with a new product they had, which was something that looked like large staples mixed into the cement. David thought it looked feasible, and took the expert’s advice and built the dome. Three days after completion, they removed the blowers (fans) and the dome collapsed. Fortunately no one was hurt but it resulted in court cases, and a great deal of money. Of course there is a big difference between a 300 ft. dome and a 35 ft. dome which is the average size for a small home. But for survival purposes it needs to be very strong.

Offered by Jan.

When constructing your dome, integrating it with a floor and four foot circular exterior wall as well as some interior walls will add a lot of strength to the unit and cut down on the amount of cement in the dome needed to hold it up. You'll need rebar (it's not that expensive) to keep the finished concrete construction from cracking. Rebar does not support the dome, it simply keeps the concrete from developing cracks that could lead to a failure of the dome. You'll need interior walls anyway, so you might as well develop them as part of the initial construction.

A unit about 35 feet across (962 sq. ft.) would be economical enough and adequate enough in size to survive a pole shift if in the middle of a tectonic plate. Make the center height about 10 feet high and 4 feet high at the exterior wall. You'll have to use 4x4 posts with plywood and 2x6 joists to support the structure, until the concrete cures for at least 2-3 weeks. I would recommend three continuous pours, one for the floor, one for the exterior and interior walls and one for the dome. An option would be to use 8x8x16 inch block construction on the exterior walls, and 4x8x16 inch for the interior walls. Use #3 (3/8") rebar every third row and vertically every 3-4 feet (#4 1/2"), pour the vertical rebarred wall holes solid. For the top row of blocks, use "knock-out" blocks and pour that row solid with #3 rebar. Paint the exterior of the walls and dome with a product available to keep the water from seeping through.

Make an entry like the Eskimos do with their igloos, but add a "T" to the outside entry.

Offered by Michael.