American Ingenuity Dome Advantages Summary What are the Advantages of an American Ingenuity’s prefabricated home dome kit? Super- strong Concrete Exterior, super-energy efficient, low exterior maintenance, fire resistant concrete exterior, tree impact resistant concrete exterior, noncombustible exterior wall materials and environmentally friendly. Please scroll down the page to view specific info about each advantage. New…New ….New interior pictures of finished 48′ dome (five bedrooms) linked to 40′ garage dome in Oklahoma’s tornado alley. To view info about Ai dome and tornadoes click on Tornado. New….New….interior and exterior photos of Aidome in St Croix US Virgin Islands withstood two category five hurricanes within 12 days with no damage to the dome. To view an article which covers why build a geodesic dome for your new home that summarizes the major info about the Aidome building system and component panel, please click on Why Build a Geodesic Dome. Disaster Resistant SUPER-STRONG DOME HOMES – CONCRETE HOME up to 225 mph Hurricane Winds & F-4 Tornado Guarantee on Triangle & Riser Panels
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American Ingenuity Dome Advantages Summary
What are the Advantages of an American Ingenuity’s prefabricated home dome kit? Super-strong Concrete Exterior, super-energy efficient, low exterior maintenance, fire resistant concrete exterior, tree impact resistant concrete exterior, noncombustible exterior wall materials and environmentally friendly. Please scroll down the page to view specific info about each advantage.
New…New ….New interior pictures of finished 48′ dome (five bedrooms) linked to 40′ garage dome in Oklahoma’s tornado alley. To view info about Ai dome and tornadoes click on Tornado. New….New….interior and exterior photos of Aidome in St Croix US Virgin Islands withstood two category five hurricanes within 12 days with no damage to the dome.
To view an article which covers why build a geodesic dome for your new home that summarizes the major info about the Aidome building system and component panel, please click on Why Build a Geodesic Dome.
Disaster Resistant SUPER-STRONG DOME HOMES – CONCRETE HOME
up to 225 mph Hurricane Winds & F-4 Tornado Guarantee on Triangle & Riser Panels
Within 12 days this 34ft Aidome in St. Croix US Virgin Islands
withstood Two Category Five Hurricanes with no damage
An Aidome owner in St Croix, US Virgin Islands, has emailed, called and sent pictures of their 34’ Aidome with 1,100 sq.ft. – two bedrooms & two baths. Liz wrote: “I live in an Aidome on St Croix, USVI and in September was hit by not one, but 2 horrific hurricanes, Irma and Maria. Let me tell you I was so happy to be in a dome with no roof to lift. Maria hit St Croix with 185 MPH winds!! The only damage at all was to our solar whole house fan on top of house.” She also called and told us: “Within 12 days we went through two category 5 hurricanes (Irma and Maria) where the area was destroyed. The hurricanes took out our hospitals, airports and schools. The Aidome stood strong and suffered no damage with only the solar fan broken. Also she said they had mini tornadoes which blew their storage sheds apart. Her husband is a Purple Heart Vietnam War Veteran who said the area looked like a war zone. To view a photo gallery of photos on this dome, click on St Croix.
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34′ Aidome in British Virgin Islands Built in 2007 Withstood Hurricane Irma’s 200 mph winds with no damage.
The Aidome’s geodesic shape combined with the steel reinforced concrete exterior allows for such a guarantee. Ai’s standard design will accommodate up to 225 mph hurricane winds, F4 tornadoes and 90 lb. snow loads. This wind warranty does not apply to a cupola, link, exterior doors, windows or exterior framed wall areas. In almost 40 years, Ai domes have survived all major USA hurricanes (Irma, Andrew & Katrina), tornadoes, a Hawaiian earthquake, a 30″ in diameter hickory tree impact
with no structural damage and several feet of snow. To read a recap of the Ai dome and acts of nature, view Nature.
The State of Florida requires Insurance Companies to offer reduced rates to homes that have high wind mitigation features. The American Ingenuity dome meets and exceeds these requirements. One of Ai’s client’s hurricane insurance premium went from $850 to $90 after he had his dome & windows/doors/shutters inspected and a Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form was completed by a Qualified Inspector.
Prefabricated home dome kits are constructed using a triangular network to form a spherical shape. This method provides for a free span, self-supporting structure requiring no internal supports such as roof load bearing partition walls. This allows for maximum flexibility of floor plan design and utilization of interior space.
As an architectural form, the dome is one of the strongest structural forms devised and built by man. Domes that were built centuries ago enclose many of the great cathedrals of Europe. Domes are structurally superior to rectilinear enclosures. The partial sphere is an aerodynamic shape that is very stable in high winds and can withstand heavy snow loads. For these reasons, American Ingenuity’s domes greatly exceed the structural requirements of the major building codes in the United States.
One of the most exciting architectural environments ever designed, a dome brings its best attributes to your home. It delivers a rewarding living experience filled with warmth, light and open space to those who accept the opportunity to build one of the most Eco Friendly homes available today. The Ai dome was Green before Green became a word to describe energy efficient homes that do not waste our natural resources. All the prefab panel materials: fiber concrete, galvanized steel, expanded polystyrene insulation and 1/2″ Georgia Pacific DensArmor drywall are noncombustible and contain no food source for mold growth.
In 1992 Hurricane Andrew had sustained winds of 165 mphwith bursts of 212 mph – Category 5 Hurricane
45 ft in diameter dome in Homestead Florida – Built in 1989.
Went through Hurricane Andrew & a Tornado at the same time
with no structural damage.
Minor Damage Due to Horse Trailer Impact
In August 1992 American Ingenuity domes were put to the ultimate test of strength when they faced the wrath of Hurricane Andrew as it slammed into south Florida. Winds at the nearby Tamiami airport were clocked at 212 mph, spawning over 100 tornadoes within the storm and leaving practically everything in its wake leveled. Nearly 200,000 people become homeless overnight. Even a tower at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant, designed to withstand 200-mph winds, was irrevocably damaged by this fierce storm. We were not surprised, however, when we learned that our domes survived – in great contrast to the thousands of conventionally built houses of their neighbors. On Key Largo, just 20 miles south of the eye of the storm, an Ai 40′ dome faced the brunt of the storm. Built on pilings near the Atlantic Ocean, it was exposed to relentless high winds and driving rain. Unlike houses and commercial buildings in the surrounding area, it sustained absolutely no damage.
Above is picture of a 45′ American Ingenuity dome home that was in the direct path of the devastating storm, bearing the worst Andrew could deliver; yet it suffered no structural damage. A two wide metal horse trailer was impelled against the dome leaving a paint skid marking on the dome where the trailer slide around the dome to the other side. The horse trailer caused a crack in the riser wall and a chunk of concrete to break loose. The dome owner, caulked the crack and mixed up fiber concrete and filled the chunk and then painted the area.
Due to the type and direction of the debris scattered around the dome’s neighborhood, an engineer from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (F.E.M.A.) surmised that a tornado had struck the area. The engineer’s own Alabama home had been hit by a tornado a few years ago, so he was impressed by the integrity of the dome on an emotional as well as a professional level. The dome structure had withstood not only the force of a hurricane but a tornado as well. The incredibly intense winds ripped open double entry doors and 12′ sliding glass doors, which had been covered with protective plywood sheathing. Even though the wood and glass doors of the entryways succumbed to the wind and allowed interior water damage from the rain, the dome itself stood strong.
The American Ingenuity dome is designed to be as safe and fireproof as possible, the dome exterior is entirely noncombustible concrete.
Fire resistant concrete exterior: to view info about American Ingenuity’s concrete dome versus the Monolithic Concrete Dome and to view a YouTube Video of fire going over Monolithic concrete dome, please click on Fire Resistant Concrete Exterior.
Ai domes protect your wallet by saving you 50% to 60% off your heating and cooling costs. The major reasons for low utility bills are reduced surface area of the dome and its thick insulation uninterrupted by wood. The insulation consists of a seven inch block of rigid R-28 expanded polystyrene (E.P.S.) which is comparable to 11 inches of fiberglass batting. This means the walls of a conventional house would need to be built with 2×10’s and still not have as much insulation as is in the Ai wall.
American Ingenuity Office Domes pictured above
34′ on left linked to 45′ dome – built in 1993
American Ingenuity’s Florida dome offices are a 45′ dome connected to a 34′ dome of 3,700 sq.ft. utilizing all electric power. In the hot Florida summer months, Ai’s offices can be cooled to 74 degrees for less than $80 a month.To view annual charts and 2013 electric bills for Ai’s offices, click on Office AC Costs. A 34′ Ai dome home of 1,200 sq.ft. located in Melbourne Florida can be cooled to 76 degrees for less than $30 a month in the hot Florida summer months. To view the home’s annual charts and electric bills, click on 34 ft Dome AC Costs. In colder climates your dome will be even more energy efficient.
The insulation is not interrupted by wood and there is no wood in the home’s exterior walls to rot or burn or be eaten by termites. During the panel assembly a temporary wooden rib system is used. Once all the seams between the panels & the entryways & dormers are
concreted, the wooden rib system is removed with most wood recycled for interior framing & second floor knee wall perimeter framing. The dome is self supporting with no need for walls to support its shell. The exterior of the dome is steel reinforced concrete with no shingles to blow off in high winds. Paint the exterior concrete with concrete primer & paint.
Kolb’s South Carolina 40′ Dome Earned Energy Star
On right is 27′ – two car garage dome. Domes built in 2000
Klaus Kolb’s South Carolina Ai concrete dome house earned EPA’s Energy Star. Home Energy Partners certified his home used 61% less energy than in comparably-size housing. To lean more, view Kolb Info. He installed a geothermal cooling & heating system. Klaus’s 2003 total monthly average energy bill was $49. This includes the electricity and propane costs for his entire 1,600 sq.ft. – 40 ft. dome.
Below is pic of the Collar’s Utah Ai concrete dome buildings which operate off the grid by using photovoltaic’s, masonry heater fireplace and passive solar water tubes. To learn more, view OFF The Grid.
What Does The Prefab Home Dome Kit and Component Panel Consist Of?
The component panels consist of a center core of 7″ of rigid noncombustible expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation NOT styrofoam. On the exterior of the EPS is 3/4″ fiber concrete reinforced with galvanized steel mesh. On the interior of the EPS is noncombustible 1/2″ Georgia Pacific DensArmor mold resistant and water resistant gypsum drywall. DensArmor Plus Interior Panel is a highly mold-resistant, interior gypsum wallboard. By featuring fiberglass mats on both the front and the back, they offer the best in interior moisture protection currently available. During kit assembly it could rain. After the drywall is allowed to dry it goes back to its original consistency. The wallboard is not conventional sheet rock that will crumble and mold when it gets wet. The exterior seam areas between the panels, once filled with on-site fiber concrete are about 3″ deep by 5″ wide with the concrete averaging two inches in thickness. Engineers tell
us the steel reinforced concreted seams act like steel beams. To learn about the prefabricated panel’s composition, click on Composition.
The building plans standard foundation is monolithic slab. However Ai can design the dome to be built on basements, pilings, stem wall, etc. To lean more, click on Foundations.
Due to spam filters your email requests may not make it to American Ingenuity and our email replies may not make it back to you. If you email Ai and do not receive a reply in one to two days, please call us – 321-639-8777. While you are on the phone, we will send you a test email and have you send your email to us.
The Ai Prefabricated Home Dome Kit (22′-48′) consists of all the component panels for the dome’s exterior shell and one entryway. Your floor plan selection determines how many more entryways or dormers your kit contains. Entryways and dormers are structural awnings that extend out from the dome. Under them a 2×4 or 2×6 framed wall is built on site to accept your locally purchased windows and doors. To view Kit Contents, click on Kit. To learn more about the entryways and dormers, click on Building Options. The kit does not include any doors or windows or interior items other than the interior wallboard on each triangle and riser panel. Ai believes you should not pay shipping on standard items that you can purchase locally from Lowes or Home Depot or off Craig’s List, or eBay, etc. To view items not included in the kit, click on Not Included.
LOW EXTERIOR MAINTENANCE
Ai Concrete Houses protect and lower your maintenance budget because their concrete roofs contain no shingles and no wood to rot, or to burn or to be eaten by termites. The exterior is steel reinforced concrete that is primed and painted with elastomeric paint. Click on Low Maintenance. View a YouTube 55 second video featuring Ai’s dome Green Living. Click on CBS Sunday Morning to view news show featuring Ai’s geodesic dome and Buckminster Fuller.
Above picture is of a painted 34′ dome being pressure washed. Prior to pressure washing remove algae with bleach/water or oxygen bleach/water. Worker has harness tied to eye bolt. The dome is repainted when the paint begins to chalk. …usually every 4-5-6 years. The Ai dome has no roof to replace. No wood in or on the dome exterior to rot or to burn or for termites to eat. No roof to blow off in high winds.
Dome Owner Painting Top of Dome (harness not pictured)
During Kit Assembly stainless steel eye bolts are installed in top dome seams.
For painting attach rope thru eye bolt and tie rope to worker’s harness.
Current technology allows for paint to be dispensed to roller from paint sprayer that sits on the ground.
American IngenuityDesigner of Dome Building Plans & Manufacturer of Concrete Dome Building Kits
