Dome houses are a relatively new word in construction, quickly gaining popularity due to the use of an unconventional shape for the house.

The construction of prefabricated domed houses is known and in demand all over the world. Today, such a house is no longer just about following fashion or a race for originality, but also about the desire to obtain the most rational and economical home as a result of construction. Some experts call dome structures a variant of eco-houses.

Features of domed houses: pros and cons of the design

The construction of domed houses, long customary and familiar to craftsmen in the West, is gradually becoming fashionable in our country. Attractive appearance, non-trivial design, environmental friendliness and ergonomics make such homes desirable for that category of people who not only fashion trends, but also strives to be in harmony with nature.

ADVICE! Those who like to stand out from the crowd, who do not want to spend a lot of money on finishing the house, can solve the problem by choosing a domed structure instead of a standard rectangular house.

Among the obvious advantages of houses with geodesic domes, the following should be highlighted:

• Saving building materials to build a house of a similar area by more than 1/5. A lightweight structure does not require an overly reliable and strong foundation and powerful construction equipment. Construction of domed houses is a fairly quick process: to build a house small area 5 days and one builder are enough.

• The process of assembling and dismantling a domed house is simple and does not require special skills. Some types of lightweight frame structures suitable even for transportation outside the city: for example, while hiking with friends.

• The dome structure is comfortable for living : air does not stagnate in it, and the significantly smaller surface area significantly reduces the amount of noise penetrating inside.

• The versatility of the structure allows it to fit into anylandscape and choose a place at any area. In addition, to ready home easy to install additional rooms the same shape.

• Despite the outward frivolity, domed dwellings are extremely durable and reliable . Even domed houses made of polystyrene foam are much more stable than rectangular structures made of brick and stone: they are not afraid of winds, earthquakes and even snow drifts (1 sq.m. of a domed roof can withstand more than 600 kg of snow).

• A domed house is an ideal option for living: Bright, with a rational layout and sufficient sound insulation, attractive in appearance and practical in terms of using free space.

• The dome structure is energy efficient: less heat loss, reduced energy requirements for heating, and comfortable temperature throughout the entire room - all this makes such a house as practical as possible.

FACT! The dome structure is perfect option for installation solar panels and use of others alternative sources energy.

Such a home has much fewer disadvantages: the most notable are the difficulty with windows (there is a need to find more expensive solutions), as well as certain problems with the choice of furniture. Besides, domed house will require a larger area than the traditional option.

From birth, a person is surrounded by rectangular buildings, all furniture and appliances are designed for installation in rooms with straight walls, and the very shape of a domed dwelling seems frivolous and even funny to many. But these difficulties are quite easy to cope with: the form may seem not funny, but modern and creative, and the furniture and Appliances fit organically into the interior of a “round” house.

It is difficult to imagine life beyond the Arctic Circle. This earth is very cold and dark for half the year. There are almost no people here, except for research facilities. But of course she is very beautiful wild nature. It is unlikely that many will agree to live here of their own free will. But the Gjertefolger family lives here.

Unique house

This family truly unique house. It is built on the basis of both modern and old technologies. Thanks to this, its appearance can be assessed as both futuristic and primitive. To create it, only natural materials: sand, clay, straw, wood and granite. They are cheap, fireproof and reliable, which is why they were chosen for this house. It is clear that strong winds and rain could damage the structure. But they are not scary for him - the house is covered with a geodesic dome.

Dome

This design does more than just protect the house from natural phenomena. It consists of glass cells mounted on aluminum beams. Such a “bubble” literally creates a greenhouse effect inside. Under the dome, the family even has their own garden where they can grow fruits and vegetables. all year round.

In addition, the glass “bubble” catches the sun's rays, making it always warm in the Gjertefolger house. And through the transparent dome you can always admire the stunning beauty of the surrounding nature. Some glass panels if necessary, for example in the warm season, they can be opened.

Design and construction

This house was designed by the Swedish architect Bengt Warne. He worked to develop buildings that would not harm the surrounding environment. Unfortunately, the architect himself did not live to see the house built beyond the Arctic Circle. He died in 2006, and the Gjertefolgers began building their home in 2012. Friends and local residents helped them in this. And today curious tourists come to these places, wanting to take a closer look at the unique home and learn about safe construction technology.

The Gjertefolgers plan to hold several seminars in the future where they will talk about the technologies they used. They also want to build a few cottages nearby to demonstrate what buildings can be like.

Life in the Arctic Circle

There are six people in the Gjertefolger family: spouses Benjamin and Ingrid and their four children. They grow their own food. This allows you to make a dome that retains heat on their “ local area" Water the plants with water that has already been used for domestic purposes and then carefully filtered. Again, thanks to the dome, members of this unique family can work in their garden at any time, regardless of the weather.

Ingrid notes that she really enjoys working at home. In this part globe often strong winds and rain. But as soon as you go under the dome, all this remains outside. Although a person still remains outside, still in the fresh air, it is dry and warm here. It's a real pleasure. And watching the flow of rain overhead is simply amazing.

To provide the home with electricity, installed solar panels. Inside, the house looks quite modern and cozy. It has five bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a dining room and two bathrooms. A garage is also provided. All this on three floors. The house is secured high-quality ventilation and running water.

The only problem was the condensation that accumulated on the glass in winter. An additional layer of glass helped to cope with it.

Each member of this unique family confirms that they would not exchange their home for any other. They hope that such buildings will become more common in the future. Then other people will be able to live comfortably without causing harm to the environment.

For spherical, radius houses

A glass house in the form of a dome is a modern architectural solution. Many experts in the field of architecture call it the building of the future. And in order for such a house to be as durable, reliable and comfortable as possible, it is important to competently prepare the project and take into account all the nuances during the construction process.

Our specialists can produce curved glass and double-glazed windows for spherical buildings in Russia. On this moment Many projects have been implemented: a shopping and office center on Bolshaya Gruzinskaya, the Russian Railways building on Kalanchevskaya, the Negotsiant hotel and many others.

Advantages of domed buildings

Domed structures have been built around the world for thousands of years, such as temples or spherical theaters.

Such designs are found in architecture different nations and have long proven their effectiveness. Recent research by scientists confirms that spherical houses in many respects they outperform traditional rectangular models. The main advantages of radius houses include the following points.

• Since the area of ​​a sphere is the smallest among all geometric shapes, for the construction of a domed residential building or another building, significantly less building materials are required. The costs for this item are reduced by about 30% compared to the construction of a rectangular structure.
• Heat losses in a spherical building are lower by about a third, even if this glass House.
• Spherical houses are highly earthquake resistant. As a rule, even with strong earthquakes they remain intact, as statistics show. Scientists explain this by the fact that the structural element of the domed building is a triangle: unlike a quadrangle, it practically does not deform during an earthquake.
• In a round house with glass dome more possibilities for space planning than in a building with straight walls. This allows you to create unique design, to invent completely unusual design. Windows and walls can be placed wherever you like.
• The aesthetics of domed buildings attracts many people. They fit harmoniously into the surrounding landscape, as if merging with it. This creates a feeling of closeness to nature, connection with it, which is so often lacking in modern people.
• Inside such a house, according to many people, it is very comfortable. Smooth lines create a feeling of freedom and stimulate development. creative imagination. Some psychologists believe that smooth outlines are more natural for human perception, because such configurations are found in nature much more often than strict geometric shapes.

Features of dome construction

The inventor of modern domed house technology, American architect Buckminster Fuller, in the first half of the twentieth century, proposed building buildings whose structural elements resemble parts of the macromolecular lattice of living organisms - triangles. Its dome frame houses consisted of many triangular ones, rigidly connected to each other. The filling of triangles can be from different materials– wood, polycarbonate glass and others. In 1951, the technology was patented, and today buildings similar to the stratodesic domed house are found in different parts of the world.

Increasingly, a glass dome made of bent (bent) glass is being used in radial houses. Modern technologies made dome glazing accessible and functional. Round glass houses are in no way inferior to buildings built from other materials.

Areas of use of a glass dome house

Such spherical structures can be seen everywhere in a variety of designs.

• Dome-type residential buildings attract unusual appearance, as well as the opportunity to realize the most different ideas exterior and interior design. Large domed houses can consist of several spheres connected to each other.
• Small dome country house one floor becomes economical and convenient solution. Such a round eco-house will not require much time to build.
• Dome greenhouses create an optimal microclimate for the plants growing inside. They have a lot of sun, and the air warms up quickly due to the fact that the rays penetrate inside over the entire area of ​​the roof and walls. In addition, heating a spherical greenhouse requires less funds than, for example, cylindrical. Domed glass greenhouses look very beautiful. Even the concept of a “vegetarian domed house” has emerged: plants grow in it all year round.
• The dome planetarium is undoubtedly the best option for creating optimal conditions for observing the starry sky.
• Spherical cinemas can become a worthy alternative traditional halls rectangular shape: It is easier to create an immersive effect in a dome cinema. Spherical cinemas create a special mood.
• A domed bath is especially suitable for the construction of a hammam - Turkish bath. It can create a suitable microclimate and create a special atmosphere.
• Dome hotels attract more guests with their unusual appearance. In a domed hotel on the seashore or in the middle of a forest in the mountains, a person can feel even closer to nature, and the smooth lines of the design will help to relax and unwind even better.
• Dome camping houses also help increase its popularity among travelers.
• A domed glass restaurant allows you to enjoy not only delicious dishes and pleasant communication, but also admire the surrounding landscape, which significantly increases the value of the establishment. It’s nice to sit in a domed cafe on the shore of a pond or on the roof of a city skyscraper.
• The dome garage will become interesting decoration area near the house.
• Spherical gazebo in the park on the hotel premises or personal plot will attract many who want to spend time in the lap of nature. You can have picnics in the domed glass gazebo even in winter.

How to build a glass dome?

When constructing a sphere house, designers take into account many factors.

• The thickness of the foundation is selected depending on the material from which the building will be constructed. It plays a role which profile will be used - aluminum, steel, wood or wood-aluminium. When building a one-story domed house, a lightweight strip foundation. If you plan to build a dome two-storey house, a pile foundation may be required.
• Appropriate thermal insulation materials for a house with a domed roof. Since the efficiency of such a building is significantly higher than a rectangular one, the thermal insulation layer can be relatively small. If a glass house is being built, protection from the cold is provided by installing sealed double-glazed windows.
• It is important to provide for the possibility of creating additional system heating for frames. This will prevent them from freezing in very coldy, and will also become additional source heating the room.

According to experts, building a house from curved glass requires specialized knowledge. It is difficult to cope with such a task on your own.

Order curved glass for an eco-house or a glass dome

Our company accepts orders for the production of curved glass and double-glazed windows for domed cottages, domed pavilions, and other spherical buildings. To glaze your house in a semicircle, please contact the company’s employees by phone 8 800 350 25 83 .

Married couple Benjamin and Ingrid Hjertefolger live with their children in the northern part of Norway on the island of Sandhorn. Despite the fact that the area is located beyond the Arctic Circle, the owners grow vegetables and even tropical fruits in front of the house. Their home is covered with a dome, thanks to which the temperature inside the structure is much higher than outside, even in the most severe frosts.

A family of six lives in an environmentally friendly house Naturhus. The three-story building itself, with an area of ​​180 square meters made of clay and straw. The outside of the house is covered with a geodesic dome. This solution significantly increased the temperature under the glass. In addition, there are several garden beds near the house.

The head of the family, Benjamin Hjertefølger, notes that due to the polar winter (three months of the year it is dark), it is not possible to garden all year round. However, even under such conditions, they can grow crops that are completely unusual for this type of climate: cucumbers, tomatoes, apples, grapes, herbs, etc.

Hjertefolgers take great care to minimize Negative influence on environment. The family uses biodegradable products in their household, and water from the house is reused to water the garden beds.

First, let's go 30 years ago, to the small town of Winooski, in the American northeast. Its population - only a little more than 6 thousand people - suffers from completely “Russian” weather. However, by Russian standards this is not even a city; it should be populated by at least 12 thousand people.

In winter, the temperature here drops below 20 degrees, and, apparently, the cold, unusual for almost the rest of America, forced its residents in 1979 to think about covering the entire settlement with a huge hood. A cap that will retain expensive heat in winter and allow you to significantly save on energy. In those years, the world was gripped by another fuel crisis, oil prices were high and the project did not look at all ridiculous.

As you might guess, it was not implemented after all. But today, when oil prices, even after collapsing, remain high, when the whole world is looking for ways to save expensive energy, the idea is again gaining relevance. After all, the heat stored under the hood is also an opportunity to grow useful crops all year round.

And if car travel inside the canopy is prohibited (which is not at all a burden for a tiny town), there is no need to clear the snow, then the load that the small town creates on the surrounding nature will decrease even more noticeably. Sounds pretty attractive, right?

Back in 1979, even corresponding calculations were made for the town of Winooski. They showed that the average household could cut heating costs tenfold. The project at that time was a transparent dome, which at its highest point would reach 76 m - for small houses Winooski, the tallest of which has 11 floors, is quite enough.

Inside the dome, any travel in vehicles with engines should have been prohibited. internal combustion, to replace them in extreme cases, public means of transport with electric motors were proposed. Fresh air would be driven inside by huge fans, at the same time heating or cooling to the required temperature.

Despite all the attractiveness, the support of the overwhelming majority of the population and even the world-famous architect Buckminster Fuller, the dome was not erected - perhaps now it’s time to turn again to this fantastic and promising project.