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Inflatable concrete house
  • Vote Up0Vote Down
    AzMakerAzMaker
     
    June 2011
    Has anyone added this concept to the pool of ideas. I think it could be replicated quickly.
    I assume it uses relatively small amounts of concrete. The outside could be lined with CEB blocks.

     
  • 15 Comments sorted by
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    Jason
     
    June 2011
    I'd be very interested in more investigation of this. I think at a minimum we should thoroughly understand their technology. Right now I believe its proprietary and there isn't really any information on how exactly the concrete cloth is made.
     
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    DavidIAmDavidIAm
     
    June 2011
    That is pretty awesome!  I can see how it works, its a matter of formulation details as much as anything. Ahh, research and development.
     
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    AzMakerAzMaker
     
    June 2011
    This product is built for transport. What about simply taking rolls of canvas, soaking them in wet concrete, then applying them to a simple form.

    Think industrial Papier-mache!
     
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    Jason
     
    June 2011
    If we could take course material like hemp and make a type of burlap out of it, I can seriously see it as a possibility.
     
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    DawgDawg
     
    June 2011
    Very neat! 
     
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    AzMakerAzMaker
     
    June 2011
    Ive seen woven straw mats that are very strong without concrete, I think you are on to something.
     
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    Maximilian
     
    August 2011
    Hello,
    I am new to the forum.
    At Loughborough University I know the people who are conceptualizing this technology:
    Combined with autonomous solar powered systems, this can be an extremely powerful technology, yet not ready for use.
    Sincerely, Max
     
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    Jiff64138
     
    August 2011
    @maximilian Awesome, glad some group is going on with that innovation. Could not find the old treehugger article on printed architecture, anyone seen it?
     
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    Conor
     
    August 2011
    >>Has anyone added this concept to the pool of ideas.

    Yes. See http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Air-formed_domes

    The Concrete Canvas design you linked to is a patented technology. Binishells, though, have all their patents expired - see link above.
     
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    mrsquishmrsquish
     
    September 2011

    Dome construction using CEB is what I'd love to do, I find it a little disheartening that the guys are looking to construct all this machinery to generate insulation to compliment their mainstream building designs. If they went for monolith construction using domes, then insulation would not be required (except for extreme locations).


     
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    mjnmjn
     
    September 2011
    What is it about a dome that it doesn't require insulation?  Winters are quite cold in Missouri (and elsewhere).
     
  • Vote Up0Vote Down
    mrsquishmrsquish
     
    September 2011

    Yeah, ok point taken. Possibly areas that require insulation are less than extreme. That doesn't really diminish the argument to use domes over the mainstream building techniques they seem to have adopted though. If they want to this movement to be relevant to the vast majority, some of those living in extremely arid areas, grass is going to be very scarce, in fact so is wood. It would be better to adopt a building practice that is 100% earth using domes.
     
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    mjnmjn
     
    September 2011
    An resource based economy suggests that abundance is based (in part) on local resources.  FeF is trying to prove that point by using their local resources, such as wood, straw, and dirt.  Designs for living will necessarily be different in other places anyways.  Very hot places will need more focus on cooling.  Wet places are not going to do as well with CEB unless measures are taken to keep them dry.  Etc.

    Dome are a very stable and quite beautiful architectural features.  Living in a dome-house, however, can be difficult.  Consider stock cabinets, for example.  Difficult to fit them into a kitchen with a round wall.  Bookcases don't fit.  Beds don't fit.  Yeah, you can adapt, but there are REASONs why most houses are rectilinear.  It is much easier to fit square(ish) things into square(ish) rooms.  Round things don't fit into a round hour, neither do square or rectangular ones.  Only curved things more or less custom made for that particular house truly work.

    Personally, the idea of dome on top of a square house is an attractive one, however.  You might get the best of both worlds, if you can figure out how to do the load bearing correctly.  I've seen many fine examples of this in public buildings.  Il Duomo in Florence comes to mind.

    - Mark
     
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    mrsquishmrsquish
     
    September 2011

    Vaults would probably be a place to start, the load bearing isn't as difficult to manage as it's only on one plane, the rooms still end up being square (or rectangular).

    - Adam.


     
  • Vote Up0Vote Down
    mjnmjn
     
    September 2011
    Yes, vaults make much better sense to me.

     
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