We’ve been fortunate in Chattanooga this year, but many folks nearby have been wiped out by tornadoes – and now they must rebuild. Einstein didn’t really say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, but it is a valid idea. Yet people keep building new homes just like their old ones that were demolished.
Think about that for a moment: If you want to survive the next tornado, why build another big wooden box with flat sides and square corners, just daring the wind to huff and puff and blow your house down?
Unlike a square box, a sphere is inherently rigid. It’s also smooth; air and water flow easily around a sphere. Even portions of a sphere, such as a flat-bottomed hemisphere, have the sphere’s natural rigidity, strength and smoothness.
Unlike lumber and plywood, concrete can be easily formed in smooth curves.
So, consider building a concrete hemisphere instead of a wooden box. The concrete foundation and floor are formed integral with the ‘walls’ and ‘roof,’ there are no support columns inside, and any necessary interior walls can be made of wood and drywall.
Molded spherical concrete shells are a time-tested technology, widely used for commercial and domestic purposes. Seamless concrete is waterproof, fireproof, draft-proof, termite-proof, vermin-proof, and bulletproof. Air flows over and around spherical shapes, so they’re essentially tornado proof, too.
We don’t see any neighborhoods or developments composed of concrete igloos – not here, not yet. But when functionality, security, and durability are highly valued, attitudes and tastes change. In Chattanooga, two such structures near 37th Street and Rossville Boulevard represent extremes of the concept. One is a gigantic dry-storage silo, the other is a small vacation rental; each serves its purpose.
Affordability is a nebulous word. Not everyone has half a million dollars to spend on a home, not everyone needs a palace, and not everyone can afford two-thousand-dollars-a-month rent. Concrete dome homes can be truly affordable. No, you can’t build a 3,600 square foot 3-story McMansion for only $100,000 in concrete or anything else. Cost is a function of size, materials and quality of finish. Build to suit your specific needs and means, and when your smooth round home survives a tornado, you’ll know its true value.
A 25-foot diameter hemisphere has 490 square feet area and, with four inches thick ‘walls’ and floor, can be built with 20 cubic yards of concrete. Chattanooga allows accessory dwelling units of up to 800 square feet; round, that’s 32 feet diameter, and takes about 32 cubic yards of concrete. Build your mother-in-law a solid and affordable little round house in the back yard, and go stay with her when the storms come.
This technology is well proven and readily available. Much of the work can be done by the owner, if desired. If affordability and tornado-proof are important points to you, study on it.
And if you simply must have great size, cost, and ostentation, look up Dome of a Home on Pensacola Beach, and Eye of the Storm at Charleston SC. They’re hurricane-proof!
Small or large, economical or extravagant, concrete domes may fit all needs and budgets. Think about that – affordable tornado-proof homes.
Larry Cloud