Advanced Building Technologies

Architectural properties and engineering

Architectural progress:

Different curved structures, having different sizes, where built, overlapping, penetrating each other, creating new world of shell structures, enable the architect to create new proportions of 3 dimensional streaming curved lines, to imagine, to think and to realize in terms of 3D curved complex structures. A large experience with free, sophisticated openings had been collected, including the engineering aspects of huge openings in the shell. Inside a Domecrete curved-shaped-structures neighborhood - there is a perspective view of more open space (less filling of building-density).

The system has been applied for extremely low cost structures as well as high-finish-standard structures.

The structures based on stream curved lines without weak points, with minor strains (homogeneous natural shaped structures).

A new modification was developed (year 2000),  exhibits advanced modular "banana" type unit, creating plurality of connected-multi-units constructions, with additional cost savings,  and unique architectural efficiency and aesthetic values. (see: What's new). 

Engineering: A large experience and know how had been collected relating the use of various shell types made of different building materials, e.g.: light weight high-strength concrete, unique thermal insulation materials, stones and variety of bricks, fiberglass, sandwich shells of thermal insulation foamed materials combined with reinforced lightweight concrete. Optimal profiles of shells had been developed for different uses and the method to apply economical shell with optimized profile. Today a typical Domecrete shell for housing, concrete based, provides highly effective thermal insulation R values.  Improved, updated technology is applied (2 patents pending) with higher cost effectiveness and improved shell properties.

A note regarding few architectural aspects: the typical residential Domecrete dome house presents an ellipsoid cross-section having a "swelling" on a height of 90-120 cm. to provide an internal height of more than 2.10 m., near the external curved wall. The height in the middle is reduced to create a less curved roof. The curved structure  provides both an efficient strength together with an efficient slope for better waterproofing, and offers high thermal efficiency, as a result of the geometric proportion between the envelop and the internal volume. The curved shell provides higher strength with less material-weight. The curved stream lines provide better wind resistance. The perspective view of  curved shapes structure offer a minimal distortion mass for the maximal internal volume - to keep the landscape with less concrete mass.