I built a 40 foot diameter monolithic dome 20 years ago. To answer as many questions as possible, here goes. The airform is inflated and stays on the outside of the dome. It must be treated just like a standard house-painted or coated every so often. It will deteriorate faster than a vinyl roof car on the sunny side. The fans must run the entire building process. The foam is sprayed on the inside of the airform in several layers until it reaches your specification. The rebar hangers are placed on top of the next to last layer of foam and then embeded with the final layer. The rebar cage is next-this takes the longest time if you are by yourself. It is placed according to the engineers specs which for the most part is 12 inches vertically AND HORIZONTALLY. The shot crete is a very sticky recipe that will stick pretty well in small layers. It needs to set up a bit between layers until it gets to the engineers specified thickness. The inflation fans are supposed to be left on all the time-28 days minimum until the shotcrete cures. Then the fans can be shut off and openings opened. My understanding is that the fans not only inflate the air form but provide a type of pre-stressing action on the concrete as it dries. When the fans are turned off, the pressure inside the dome drops and the concrete tries to compress in on itself making it that much stronger. We never had any cracks in the shell in the 15 years we lived in it. As far as cost, because I did most of the labor myself and only hired the contractors with the required licenses to do the rest, we spent about $80 a square foot on the shell (in 2000). The rest of the interior work is the same cost as a standard frame house.The airform went up in one day, the foam in two days because the rebar hangers-there are a ton of them took a while, rebar took a very long time just because there is so much to hang, shotcrete took three days. So the rest of the dome took as long as a standard building with rooms plumbing electricity doors and windows, etc. Most of the labor to do a dome can be done by a skilled diyer.

I saw one being built at the Xanadu resort, in Belize 25 years ago.... a great solution for a small structure that will resist hurricanes.

Human houses in the future are all dome-shaped👍

I have driven past the giant caterpillar in I-35E in Texas thousands of times. I have seen it "sprout" lots of domes! lol I always wondered what they where. After checking out the web site and seeing soooo many plans I can not wait to get our own dome home!!

I think it looks great. Thank you for showing the inside work with framing the walls. The front door and the windows are aesthetically pleasing.

Very interesting! We are in the process of building our Tri-Domes right now with Monolithic Institute team ❤

I would love to have one of those built for my family. Beautiful.

I was so overwhelmed aß i First der the First Dome House at you tubè. That was my Dream of Building those Kind of hauses. I am Sick and tired seing those houses being blown Away Everytime a strong typhoon comes to visit our poor Country. And Now this Dream came to rearily. How fascinating it would be to build such kind of house with lot of FUN and with a very low cost Materials. I still have 3 Year to Go before my Pension and i am already excited die this Time that i can be able to build a house of my taste and fantasy. Thank you very much for Posting at you Tube.

That was cool !!! A video that could have been MUCH longer.

It kind of looks like swimming pool construction only upside down? Very cool.

I wish I could have money to build this. So proud of u guys make world safe

🔥Se desperdicia micha tierra, con los mimos metros cuadrados con bloque haces una de 2,3,4 pisos y casi en el mismo tiempo. También tienen que cablear y de más cosas.

Question? when the shotcrete is curing or hardening . Does the curing temperature of the shotcrete melt the spray foam insulation? Concrete or shotcrete gets hot while it's curing is why i am asking.

Home much did it cost to build this home?

So what about the balloon surface. They just left it there but what happens when it gets weathered and torn?

Loved this.

how long does it take to be completed? something as big as this one in the video.

As strong as these are it seems it would make for a great underground home.

Could use this process to build the Hobbit house you've always wanted, lol. Just mound dirt up around it, add sod, will look like part of the landscape.

Hello how long do you think it will take to build a 400 square foot simple dome, I'm looking to build a dome as quick as possible in my new raw land, a tiny house if you will, to move in as soon as possible.

What is the life expectancy of the plastic shell?

love the my name is instrumental

I would think it possible to cover the domes with dirt to grow a garden provided that the roofing material is able to support such activity and keep it's integrity. Growing a garden of food on your roof or just flowers and grass would add insulation from heat and cold. But, I question the costs. Thanks,. Ron Morrison.

I love it!

How do you keep shotcrete sprayed vertically up from falling down?

Is the plastic air bag something that stays on the house? Would this design be okay for covering with Earth?

Why not excavate out a dome of dirt and then rebar over it and pour a 6" layer of concrete, like the old Seattle King Dome roof. Let it cure and then excavate out the dirt. Put it back around the dome for earth shelter. It would be like a 6" thick wall/slab and stronger then hell. Any concrete crew could pour it in a day with a pump truck. I worked on the King Dome roof pours back in the day. Start at the bottom, pour it stiff with a vibrator and some spreaders. Plastic over the dirt of course. I've thought about that for years. If you did your own work, the cost would just be rebar, cement, a pump truck and a concrete crew for a day.

How long will the white Airbag last under the UV? 5 years max?

Is the "air form" left on the outside? When you say 'exterior' details are added" what does it mean?

how much would this cost to build in bucharest, romania ? are there companies doing this in europe ?

How would these stand up to tornadoes? Seems like it can withstand the windshear and small debris. Looks basically like a shelter to me.

In the Monolithic Dome Construction Process video, doesn't concrete get poured on the outside of the Domes? It doesn't appear like it to me. Did I miss it?

So, is the outside just foam???

So cool😊 I want one in Arkansas!

does the company offer to go build the domes on site and if so what cost minus the materials of course as each state and area differs I know. I live in south Florida.

How much did it cost to build the plastic dome and make the reinforced concrete ? Just curious. I want to build my own dome house and I want to see what is my best option. You can write to me in private.

I love it so much

How much concrete is used in this size house and how much does it cost to build with labor costs added in?

Hello great video thank you for the presentation that was very nice. I just have a question I was wondering how do you finish the outside to seal it from the weather?

Can you skip the concrete and just go with thick foam?

i have viewed several different companies' construction methods and wonder how this company insulates their domes.

Great building, Incredible Tuneage. Listen often. Did it inspire the building?

How long before the plastic "airform" degrades from sun exposure and falls apart. It is, after all, just plastic. It seems a bit short sighted to leave this as the external surface since it is obviously going to degrade in the sun, be damaged by any debris, and may even be damaged by strong winds. Please explain.

Only strong shelter...but really have a resistance to tornado etc don't think so....also how many days take to do this ...

Sir, How much would it be to let a contractor build this? Thanks. Awesome video.

Where do you get the Air forms from?

hi! how does the surface perform versus a catergory 4 or 5 typhoon?

Thx folks.

How long does it take on average to build a monolithic dome withe two bedrooms, a kitchen, a sitting room and a bathroom approximately 1000 ft.² I have heard they can be built very quickly from the point, you start to lay the foundation to the point where the house is ready for habitation how long would it take on average? thanks very much kind regards Steven Bell

I like this method so much better than an idea i just saw where the concrete, etc. are sprayed on the OUTSIDE. The other method made no sense to me because you have to deal with pressure of the material on the inflated portion; at minimum, you have wrinkles from the fabric becoming embedded in the concrete and at worst, you might have collapses from weight. Plus, forms for doors and windows have to be added after the fact, there’s less rebar, and the use of Tyvex as an inflatable balloon seems like a waste because once they punch a hole and get inside, they start spraying the inner portion. This makes so much more sense.

Love it

Can these be buried underground?

Who to contact to have this buitl in North California? Or buy the plans for this model shown in the video.

Szuper!!!

Song name please..

Ha! Eminem. I knew I heard it correctly. 😂

You know, I must have watched two dozen videos on this type of dome construction, none mention how the exterior is finished.

I Want One!!!

Where do you get an air form?

what'-s the name of the 2nd-song in this video?

Those doors at the end reminded me of the fountainhead 😣😖

What makes Russian engineers wonder is this. Why don't they use geopolymer foam instead of polyurethane foam which burns? When we Russian use geopolymer foam developed from geopolymer research during the 1950s in the former Soviet Union, it was made it small batches for it rapidly hardens and cures within 7 to 10 minutes, so common sense and logic will tell you to make a batch enough for 5 minutes of spraying a geopolymer foam with an experienced and well protected worker.

This seems perfect for foamcrete.

Sad thing is that they are almost impossible to build since the techniques to build them are tough to find labor that knows how to do it. PLUS, Monolithic charges a FORTUNE to even send one person to get things started. I've taken the class and although amazing houses, it get the construction to pass inspection for a reasonable price is almost impossible.

I am retired on fixed income. Own my own land. Is this feasible?

When I learned about MD structures I wrote my Congressman and Senators as this is "hurricane country". Seemed to me the Feds and FEMA should encourage, and even subsidize building monolithic domes in areas of high winds e.g. hurricanes and tornados. Not a reply from them. For the Feds to embark on a plan to encourage the construction of monolithic domes would require forward thinking....something that appears to be alien to them.

OK, but what is the cost?

Question: Has this process changed over the years or is it the same❔

Guess the air form is a one time use?

What kind of price are we talking about?

Are these homes expensive to make?

How do I contact the builders, am ready to build within 6 months

Everyone in disaster prone areas really need to consider building these type of structures, not wooden structures.

What's with the music?

Cost per ft.? Time?

Man I want to have my house built with two domes shaped like a booty SO BAD

how expensive is this thing and how do I find companies that work with this giant air bags? Can I build a house using this method without being a millionaire and without any knowledge in engineering?

very genius design even for outside of tornado alley

i have just have a dream of dome shape of ceiling very tall i don't know what's that mean but i really like ................

I know this is a far off question.... but could a similar structure be built with a bamboo grid and hemp-crete?

The Eskimos called and they want their igloo back!

Actually I was interested in covering the entire house in dirt much like a hobbit shire

not sure whats better. This or shipping containers

Does anyone know roughly how much this costs?

Want to apologize to the uploader for the argument. Looking at his profile in facebook I realized that everything he says is insulting towards others. I apologize for engaging and using bad language. Thank you for the video. I really want to build some of these on my 40 acre property

Why not build a rebar grid and ditch all the special equipment that cost thousand of dollars. Build the frame/mold and just poor concrete into into it, plenty rebar to hold the concrete in place. Trying to find a cheaper way to do this. I want a dome shelter underground. any ideas I welcome it.

Amazing doom

There are schools and public buildings, and churches built using this method. By the way this house is hurricane proof and fire proof since the exterior is not made of wood. You will save ridiculous money on your utilities with this house. Google the company in Texas and he will help you out. I only know this because I have been researching monolithic dome home for years and I am getting one built for me. Check out other you tube sites for this style home. Happy building to you.

I think the future is 3D printed homes. Scaling up 3D printing is easy, nothing is different except size, and using shotcrete instead of plastic filaments. The shotcrete can be formulated with fiberglass filler, and to foam a little for good insulating properties. No rebar needed if the shape is right, the walls thick enough, and the shotcrete is high strength.

Don’t you use basalt rope now

'Tis a fine dome, but sure it is no pool, English.

That second song was an Eminem song, that's weird

Tornado Proof Housing

Why haven't this build in the State, where there is tornado? wouldn't this be a prefect solution for million+ dollar of damn to many people house?

Why can't you narrate rather than all the noise

Plop this down on the moon. Use a chemical reaction to fill the inflatable bags with air. Put an airlock down as a door. Bam! Permanent settlement.

You are definitely not going to be able to reuse that inflatable bounce house again

1 thing you really, really have to be conscious of in a monolithic concrete dome is the foundation. Since the dome is not flexible (a blessing and curse inherent in the dome shape), the slightest foundation settling or shift can cause unsightly cracking. Fiber shotcrete with rebar probably won't collapse or drop big chunks, but it will crack and cause severe cosmetic and worrying problems. On door: Caution! Hard hat area!

1:48 - HI! MY NAME IS. HI! MY NAME IS. CHIKKA CHIKKA, SLIM SHADY.

Interested in doing this. The music is inappropriate.