What's the home of the 21st century? Contenders abound — you've got green houses, cool prefab designs and even apartments themed around gadget fads — but none are quite so… modular as these Styrofoam domes. Made by Japan Dome House, the igloo-shaped homes have 13-foot ceilings and are 25 feet wide, so the insides are actually fairly roomy.
Lest you think your Styrofoam home will crack apart the first time you try to hang a painting, the foam used in the 7-inch-thick walls is considerably stronger than the stuff your DVD player was packed in. Not only that, but it'll never rust or attract pests like termites, and is said to be highly resistant to earthquakes and hurricanes. The walls are also treated with a flame retardant, so they don't give off toxic fumes if there's a fire.
Assembling the prefabricated pieces is fast work. Two or three people could put the whole thing together in an afternoon… without any cranes or heavy equipment. You can also connect the domes with joint pieces to create larger dwellings. Once your dome is put together, the possibilities are endless — create anything from a steam room to a swanky bar. In any case, it'll be a lot better than a FEMA trailer.
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International Dome House, via Pink Tentacle
editor@dvice.com
By EnOne at 11:12 AM ON 08/12/08
Spaceballs, The Suburbia
By Anonymous at 1:45 PM ON 08/12/08
how do u get one im 16 moveing out soon the would be a great statrer nabour to live in.
By Boborlarry at 1:49 PM ON 08/12/08
I can remember as a kid (1983 or so) a styrofoam house in Gatlinburg, TN named Xanadu. As a matter of fact... i just found several sites talking about the houses... "Florida's Xanadu, located in Kissimmee on Hwy 192, was actually one of three -- the other two were in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.
Built of polyurethane foam sprayed over balloons to form the basic structure, Xanadu was energy efficient, cheap to build, and looked like a plastic barbie house left out in the sun too long. The interior rooms were a bit on the cramped side, and the built-in technology showed a decided tendency toward obsolescence. Like most oddly shaped "homes of the future" ever built, it never caught on, people preferring to continue living in box shaped dwellings where you could hang a picture on the wall and it would stay flat."
By IsoTek at 8:38 PM ON 08/12/08
I KNEW IT! The japanese were working on making the houses from Phantasy Star all these years so that they could have a Phantasy Star Play Village all to themselves.
By Tattoolimbo at 9:05 PM ON 08/12/08
Monolithic Dome company has made them for years but also spray conrete on the inside and out to make it super strong
By DelosWorld at 10:50 PM ON 08/12/08
They used a simian (ha) method to fabricate the buildings in the original Planet of the Apes movie in Ape City. In that case they built temporary structures out of plywood and cardboard that would define the exterior surfaces and sprayed the foam on the structures from the inside. After the material cured they removed the cardboard and plywood. Apparently MIT was working on a similar system around the same time, as the film production crew later learned!
By tallywacker at 9:16 AM ON 08/13/08
Looks like smurf village. But I would like one as a shed.
By Network233 at 9:16 AM ON 08/13/08
I think it's a great idea. you could connect several together, have flat interior walls, and a cheaper living space. I'd rather have that than live in my spiffy but small apartment.
By conniekndr at 10:06 AM ON 08/13/08
What a great idea to find something to do with styrofoam. We needed a way to recycle this stuff that isn't biodegradable. It does however have the space balls look...lol
By pheer6224 at 11:14 PM ON 08/13/08
I could live in one, I just need land anywhere I please, that's a great way to save, if you don't mind being strangely cutting edge.
By custoshonor at 3:38 AM ON 08/14/08
Maybe I underestimate the strength of these houses, but, if someone wanted to break in, wouldn't it be incredibly easy to do? Basically just punch the wall a few times and you've got an entrance. . .
By What the? at 8:53 AM ON 08/14/08
And where are we supposed to put all the non-biodegradeable waste that these would create when they get too old to inhabit? Send them into the sun on a spaceship? LOL
By paintlight at 9:27 AM ON 08/14/08
Well their nice and all, but are they Godzilla Proof? I mean Styrofoam domes would be as attractive as popping bubble wrap to a giant monster.
By briesansotta at 12:35 PM ON 08/14/08
Frodo, where are you?
By Li at 2:06 PM ON 08/14/08
Punch through 7 inches of structural foam? Good luck on that one, but I wouldn't recomend it. Of course, with an ax and some dedication you could be inside in a few minutes, but that's no different than stick frame houses, really.
The main advantages here are a very high insulation value, and the storm/earthquake proof properties of domes.
Our sense of security in our homes is largely illusory anyhow; a big wind, a fire, or an axe are all that is needed to violate that safety.
Monolithic domes, on the other hand, can take bomb blasts or direct hits from tornadoes. Nothing illusory about that sort of structural integrity!
By Penfold at 2:51 PM ON 08/14/08
anyone ever hear of the "concept house" Xanadu, in near Orlando, Florida?? It was the exact same thing, only WAY huger. With that one, they blew up huge balloons, sprayed them, then when dry, deflated the balloons. A chain saw and utility knife was all that was needed to cut in windows and doors.
This isn't anything new - it finally has found the respect it deserves, though. I thought the Xanadu house was way cool when I was first there in the 80's. It's closed now - no tourist. But the idea is still an excellent one. They are also hurricane proof, and can be designed to nearly any interior or exterior configuration.
By ScottHardy at 8:49 PM ON 08/14/08
Interesting. They do look tall, though any upper levels would be cramped for the average 6'+ American male. I'd be happy linking four of them together. Think about the beautiful home theater you could build in one of them. Core out the Styrofoam and run the conduit for your cables, then just spray over the concrete and you're good to go. Very cool. I'll bet Boborlarry is right in stating that people prefer box homes. You'll probably only find these in the same neighborhoods as those folks who build the mud and hay bale homes... Never in suburbia...
Warm Regards,
Scott Hardy
http://www.topclassactions.com
By slackman at 10:32 PM ON 08/15/08
Nice. The 70's version ended up being a fire hazzard, but certainly modern materials have taken care of this. You could also "cast" in place a home of any shape, even traditional style homes. There is already a business in SW Virginia that makes hybrid wood/foam panels for prefab buildings. Wouldn't mind using something like this to replace my roof!
By Anonymous guy at 9:50 AM ON 08/16/08
Add the fact that some people disfigure their ears too look like elf ears might buy one of these and its like what hell is going on here.
Where's Gandalf?
By Muzhik at 11:38 PM ON 08/16/08
It would be WAY too hard to punch through. Not only is it 7 inches of dense foam, but the entire structure is sealed inside and out with either plaster or concrete.
This is similar to what Monolithic Domes makes. (Google them to find out more information.) Biggest differences is that this is strictly foam, while the monolithic domes are made of reinforced shotcrete (concrete mixed with nylon threads, can be sprayed on) sprayed over a urethane dome form.
While the "strictly foam" technique used here makes for quick and easy assembly, it's limited in size -- about 25 ft across. It also may be VERY energy efficient BUT there's no thermal mass. Monolithic domes can have a wide variety of sizes, plus, because of the concrete, they have large thermal mass. That means that it keeps the inside cool in the summer and warm in the winter. (Although with the foam domes, the small size may make that point moot.)
By CrazyChick at 12:19 PM ON 08/18/08
Where can you get one? I want one. Those things are so neat. I am very impressed with the forethought about the toxic fumes and such when burning. It is amazing what technology can do now. Do you think that it would be able to stack one on top of another and create a two story level or something to save space? I can't wait until they become popular in the US. Let the good times roll.
By Avarice at 3:49 PM ON 08/18/08
Where do I live? Third turd on the left.
By Valkyrie_Wilde at 4:04 PM ON 08/22/08
While the concept of these little "Pod Homes" and organic styling is nothing new, their prefab & ability to configure into larger structures is something of a new twist. Lots more info about organic design, and the designers doing them here:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0119080/stories/2003/04/28/galleryTheClassicRockRealm.html
I suppose I'd live in one if the price was right. Beats having to go home to a YURT everyday.