Colorado 40′ w’ 34′ Aidomes will withstand Colorado’s 90 lb psf snow load and 110 mph winds.
40' dome linked to 34' dome garage in Colorado. Dome on right has standard entryway with second floor door dormer utilized to install a tall window NOT a door.
Rear view of the domes.- Prior to the domes being painted with two coats of elastomeric paint, a white concrete primer is applied. Their link between the two domes has a door dormer in it.
- Footer being formed up which follows the dome geometry.
- Plumbing pipes stub up out of a concrete slab.
- Due to their three foot frost line, a Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF) stem wall had to be built to get the footer below the frost line. Its shape matches the perimeter dome geometry. Rebars are installed in specific places before cells are poured with concrete.
- ICF stem wall is formed up for two domes. The stem wall is built from Fox Block. For other dome homes, the dome is built on basement walls which are built from the Fox Block ICFs.
- Concrete being poured into ICF cells.
- Slabs are ready to be poured.
- Slabs being poured.
- Slab is poured and leveled with entryway footer poured. The riser wall panels set on edge of slab on top of the hook tie down rebars. The riser wall is installed flush with the outside of the footer or stem wall.
- 40 foot in diameter dome home linked to 34 foot in diameter garage dome Monolithic slabs with perimeter ICF stem wall.
- After slab is poured, the first row which consists of riser panels is installed. The panels are propped up.
- Riser panels are being installed.
- Entryway panels and riser panels are being installed. On the right and left of the riser wall is the base panel of an entryway. On site the exterior is concreted after all bolts and hardware are installed for the future framed wall under the entryway that will hold doors and windows.
- Inside of the riser panel with 1/2" Georgia Pacific drywall. Each panel is marked with lettering to match the nomenclature blueprint in the building plans. The lettering determines where each panel is installed.
- After riser panels and entryway base panels are installed, the temporary wooden rib system is installed. 2x4's cut to specific lengths with holes drilled in each end are bolted to steel hubs to make a temporary geodesic skeleton which matches the geometry of the dome. Once all the panel seams and entryway and dormers are concreted, the dome is self-supporting and the rib system comes down. The steel hubs are returned to Ai to receive a deposit refund. Some 2x4's are used to frame in the 2nd floor perimeter knee wall.
- Temporary rib system is installed for the 40' dome. Under each steel hub a support will be installed. After the kit is assembled and all concrete work done, the dome is self-supporting and the rib system is removed. The steel hubs are returned to Ai to receive a refund on your deposit. Some of the 2x4's can be used for interior framing.
- Galvanized steel mesh extends out all sides of each triangle and riser panel. During panel assembly, the mesh from one panel overlaps the mesh of another panel a minimum of two inches and is locked with C rings. Then fiber concrete is mixed on site and hand troweled into the seam areas. In specific places rebar is installed.
- On site the dome buyer purchases bags of Portland Cement and masonry sand and mixes concrete per the recipe on the building plans and in the Assembly Manual. Synthetic fibers and two liquid admixtures are mixed in the cement, sand and water to make the dense, rich concrete which is troweled into the seams and on the entryways and dormers. This recipe matches the fiber concrete recipe Ai utilized to manufacture the prefinished concrete on each riser and triangle panel.
- Where the back of an entryway panel meets the riser panel, rebar extends out of the footer. On site other rebar is installed to overlap this rebar to reinforce the seam where the entryway meets the dome panels. On site fiber concrete is mixed and troweled on top of the entryway's exposed galvanized steel mesh.
- Kit Assembly Consultant, Kevin Killian, has just finished clamping cable clamps to connect a cable to rebar. Two cables are included with the dome building kit. In specific seams a cable is installed on top of the overlapped and locked galvanized steel mesh and clamped to rebar coming out of the footer.
- Partially assembled 34' dome with first row of risers being installed on the 40' dome. Hoisting mechanism in the back ground is used to lift the panels into place.
- Second row of panels being installed on top of the riser panels for 34' dome. Base panels are being installed for the link between the two domes. Two domes can be connected via a covered walkway named a link.
- Entryway top panels are supported until the beam is poured around the front edge and framed wall king studs with header secured to the entryway panels. Above the entryway is an opening where a window. First layer of concrete has been installed in some of the panel seams.
- 34' garage dome panels are being installed. The panels are lifted into place with a lull.
- Dome on right is 40 foot in diameter linked to 34 foot garage dome. During kit assembly a temporary wooden rib system is assembled to support the panels. Once all the seams between the panels is concreted and the entryways and dormers are concreted, the rib system comes down because the dome is self-supporting.
- View of domes, panel stacks, masonry sand, cement mixer.
- 40' dome riser panels and temporary rib system being assembled.
- Fourth row of panels being installed on 34' dome. Top row is the fifth row and consists of five pentagon panels.
- 40' and 34' dome panels installed with one layer of concrete in the seams. Before the second layer of fiber concrete is troweled into the seams, the concrete is is watered down and a bonding agent is applied.
- Underside view of the prefab panels showing white 1/2" special Georgia Pacific DensArmor moisture resistant and mold resistant drywall. This is not standard drywall which has paper matting and conventional gypsum. Water does not harm the DensArmor and there is no food source for mold growth in the GP drywall. After all the panels are installed the temporary wooden rib system is taken down and the drywall seams are finished with fiberglass tape and joint compound. Then joint compound can be skip troweled over the drywall to blend the seams.
- A view showing base panels for the link (or passage way) between the two domes. The link panels are manufactured from 7" eps insulation with 1/2" DensArmor on the underside. On site galvanized steel mesh is hand tied to the exterior EPS and then the exterior is concreted with the fiber concrete.
- More of the link panels are being installed and some of the 34' riser panels are installed with its temporary rib system being installed.
- Lull has lifted a panel into place.
- 40' dome in the fore ground
- 34 garage dome in background has first layer of concrete in most seams. 40' dome being assembled.
- View of domes from a distance. The dome owner chose to build the Aidomes because of their strength and energy efficiency. their Colorado property receives high winds and heavy snow loads.
- Link between the two domes has a door dormer being installed. The link will contain a mud room.
- The concrete dome is so strong, parts of the second floor can be suspended from the dome shell utilizing suspension rods/top and bottom plates purchased from Ai. This photo shows a 3/8" threaded rod with U channel. Next pics will show the edge beam being built to hang off the rods.
- Two 2x10 edge beam being built on the floor and will be lifted up to set on the U plates.
- Workers are starting the assembly of the edge beam to the plates.
- View of the bottom U channel with suspension rod extending out the bottom. The rod will be cut off flush to the bottom of the U Channel. The two edge beams are notched per the building plans to sit on the U channel and then Simpson Hanger secures the outside.
- Edge beam being built and supported by the suspension rods. This is the garage dome so there are no first floor load bearing walls to support the 2nd floor. 2x10 joists will hang on the side of the edge beam per the framing blueprint.
- When a second floor is above a garage area, the second floor framing can contain microlam beams to carry load.
- 40' kit on semi-truck loaded and ready to leave from American Ingenuity factory.
This dome home was owner built. The exterior is finished with interior finishing occurring as we post this article. As we receive interior finishing pictures we will update this gallery.
The home is three bedroom 2 baths with half bath in the link. The 40′ dome has 1,140 sq.ft. on the first floor and 567 on the second floor for a total of 1,707 sq.ft. The link has 151 sq.ft. The 34′ garage dome is 827 sq.ft. on the first floor with a possible future second floor of 428 for a total sq.ft. of 1,255. The master bedroom and master bath are on the first floor with two bedrooms and bath on the second floor.
Due to the three foot frost line, a three foot stem wall was built from Fox Block to get the footer below the frost line.
