Dome homes / houses

     There are two different main types of dome houses.  One is the Geodesic dome home (not shown in the photo), and the other is the smooth type (shown in the photo), which can have quite a lot of different styles, such as the one shown in the photo.  

     The first geodesic dome was built in Jena, Germany in 1922.  Buckminster Fuller, although not the original inventor, has been given credit for the US popularization of this type of dome.  His dome design was patented June 29, 1954.  US patent # is: 2,682,235.                            

     The dome house is the most efficient design for a house.  In addition to the advantage of saving on heating and cooling bills, it is also very strong, and the best quality homes are designed to withstand up to 250mph winds, which covers most tornado wind speeds.  To further resist damage from debris flying around in a tornado, optional, nearly unbreakable polycarbonate windows / skylights can be used.  This type of dome house is sold in a prefabricated kit, and an average size 39ft. diameter dome shell can be assembled by a few professionals in just 2 or 3 days. 

     Many options can be included by the best companies.  Options include different types of durable roofing materials, also.

     Circular (cylinder-shaped) homes are quite resistant to high winds, also, however the dome shape always ends up on top for the overall advantages including the highest resistance to high winds. 

     Shown in the photo is a smooth-type dome home.  The type of home kit shown in the photo was invented in Japan.  It is a later design and proves to have many advantages equal or near equal to the geodesic dome design.  Assembly of the smooth-type dome homes is very different from the geodesic dome homes, however.  The matter of choice simply depends on the customer, of course.

     The price of any completed basic dome home often can be less than a comparable quality standard, rectangular shaped house that would have the same square footage.