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Earth Berming Or Burying The American Ingenuity Concrete Dome House
Our dome lends itself very well to earth berming because of the strength of the dome shape and the totally concrete exterior wall, with no materials to rot. Our domes have been bermed with as much as four feet of backfill. However, if you earth berm your dome, we recommend a drain system (French Drain) to draw water away from the foundation. Plans for this drain system are included with our basement plans.
Can your concrete house be bermed higher than four feet? The American Ingenuity Geodesic Dome could be bermed higher or even buried, but we do not recommend it because the additional expense of labor and extra concrete would probably not be worth the gain. A dome or a structure that is not buried would never have to withstand loads greater than 100 lbs. per sq.ft. If a structure is buried the earth could put loads in excess of 500 lbs. per sq.ft. and we do not design our standard dome to for those extreme conditions that would normally never occur.
Four feet is the maximum height of back fill that can go back against the dome. Back fill higher than this would cause more expense and complications than is likely to be worth while. Consider landscaping with plants to enhance the appearance that you want. Some of our domes have been bermed a little highter but we have never had any buried.
I would like to completely bury the dome. Is this possible? Yes. But we would need to work with a soil engineer in your area to design the plans and to design the panels for manufacturing. Until we worked with your local engineer we would not know how thick the concrete, etc. would need to be. So we cannot give you a price on engineering, plans design, or the manufacturing of the kit. We suspect it could increase the kit price and the engineering cost by 50% or more.
What do you want to accomplish by covering the dome with earth? There may be a better way than covering with dirt. Plus if you should have a leak in an underground dome, how would you repair the leak?
A dome like an arch, increases its effectiveness as it is compressed so it will support partial earth berming or any snow load. We have fortified our reinforced concrete with space-age fibers and special admixtures, as well as galvanized steel. As the panels of the dome are assembled, the beveled seams between them are concreted, creating a network of interlocking arches of structural beams.
When the dome is bermed, a French Drain is installed around the base of the dome. The steps are:
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