The "Dome Home" Fends Off Hurricanes

I would waterproof the outside in some way and bury it partially Underground, so that you can get a an Earth Ship type of Heating and Cooling effect. But it's also smart to have an air intake on the other side that is used to not only swap fresh air into the house but also create a convection of cooling during the summer. They say you also have to face the house towards the North for that convection to properly work.

I mean the South, getting my directions all screwed up here.

@KEEPER: I was about to write 'South', but you caught it. I have been studying structural design for years, but am fairly new to passive cooling and heating. Nonetheless, I concur with your design suggestions.

I tecently learned that monobolt rivets have incredible strength (the 1/4-inch diameter stainless steel variety), so I will test their suitability in a month or two. (I am allergic to [new] wood and almost all plastics, thus, whatever structure I build will have to be of metal, concrete, and glass in relation to materials).

@anonmachina: well i stole it from the earthship idea. i also like their use of the tire walls, as they create passive heating during the winter seasons. so even though your not building an earthship, some of the building ideas can still be used for other types of building ideas.

@anonmachina: there was a older man in a video who did this, and he used to containers as well. but he didn't use the tire idea, because he was within California where i guess winter makes no diff. but he got it to work, it was just a bit cramped with him and his wife. but if it's just you, than it's perfect.

@KEEPER: Provided I go ahead with the shipping containers, two 20ft containers joined by the broad side (20ft, face-to-face) will yield an acceptable area. However, the ceiling height is something I will probably extend with half-height containers. I will have to recalculate costs when the time comes to compare to building a structure from stock metal (the present price hikes now make the aluminum extrusions I bought for a project I am finishing look like precious metal).

@anonmachina: found the video i was looking for that i wanted to show you of the guy who did this with his shipping containers. . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0oFJ2jbkDI

he does a diffrent style of cooling tube than i would do for this kind of build, but i suppose it works ok for his set up. it's preferable to have the cooling tubes near the floor buried underground with one end getting the fresh air, so when it travels through the ground it cools down and when the port is open it will create a natural convection of air conditioning when the front of the design to have the air escape through an solar exhaust tube where all the hot air escapes and it makes sense to have it on the south and near the roof of the design because we know that heat naturally rises so the cooling effect will work properly during the hottest part of the day. it can still cool at night, but it won't be needed as much because of how this design works.

@KEEPER: Three...three containers (looking at the space, I would go with three). 'Off-Grid and Underground'—my next ebook purchase. Thanks.

@KEEPER: 'it's preferable to have the cooling tubes near the floor buried underground with one end getting the fresh air, so when it travels through the ground it cools down and when the port is open it will create a natural convection of air conditioning..'. I also found it odd that he placed the tubing on top, but it appears he elected this route to cut costs on structural reinforcement (one slab instead of two), or so I surmise.

@anonmachina: oh ok. i still think it's better lower because how the natural convection of air flow works more effectively, i mean there is a reason why he has that fan mounted there in the first place. but where do you plan on building yours. you don't need to tell me exactly, just a general location is fine, the reason why i ask is because it might be a diffrent method in where you choose to live for this type of design, weather is an important detail to pay attention to.

@KEEPER: I would have placed it at the bottom, ad you indicated, for the same reason (movement of air relative to temperature).