Future Plans
In the month of October I went to Italy Texas to attend a workshop and receive a certificate for building concrete domes http://www.monolithic.com.
While I was there we worked on 4 domes. I found the process to be very easy and fast to build. It is our goal to build domes buildings in the Philippines for our ministry, the poor and for other ministries all over the world. We will have a crew that can travel anywhere people and ministries want them .
For more information or to partner with us on this project please contact us.
We have been researching different types of building methods we can use for our buildings at the village in Cebu. We are going to use a method of building developed by David South of www.monolithic.com.
The homes and buildings are built with concrete using a large balloon (airforms) covered with rebar then covered with concrete. The buildings can withstand typhoons, earthquakes, fires etc. Instead of building inferior homes for the poor we want to build the superior Dome homes. People like to build concrete block homes with metal roofs. That’s nice but, you have given them a home that’s like a oven. During a storm the first thing that happens is the metal roof comes off and then the walls collapse. We can do better. Read what one man in Mexico says, they have homes made of metal sheets.
“Instead of giving out a few sheets of roofing every year, they should give us materials to build real houses — wood, or even bricks,” said Paulino Hernandez, an out-of-work mason who sought haven at the school.”Every year it’s the same thing: They (officials) give out a few sheets of roofing, and the next year it has to be replaced” when a hurricane comes. If you build Dome homes they are cooler, and will not be damaged during these storms.
We will build the buildings the ministries need and also use this same method to provide homes for people that don’t have a home. We plan on building villages through out the Philippines. We will find land and develop it for this purpose. According to the united nations an ideal sized home would be 350 square feet, we can build these homes for about $800 not including plumbing, interior, or electric.
The homes will be better then the small nipa huts the people are living in now. When storms sweep through the Philippines these little bamboo huts are destroyed and often kill the occupants. We can do better by giving them a concrete dome home .
We will need 3 ecoshell airforms, a 20 foot (315 sq ft) for $2300, a 30 foot (750 sq ft) for $3950, and a 40 foot (1250 sq ft) for $8260. Each airform can be used to build 100 homes. As soon as our land is paid for we will start building the first 2 homes for the kids, a 40 foot dome 1250 square feet.
Domes for the the World Foundation http://www.dftw.org
EcoShell I – Defined
An EcoShell I is a concrete, thin shell dome whose construction process includes a relatively new technique called Airforming. This technique uses an Airform that’s made of a high-strength, high-tech fabric. When inflated, the Airform, looking like a semi-rigid balloon,creates the EcoShell’s dome shape.
The Airform used in the construction of an EcoShell I is removable and reusable. With proper care, it can be used 100 or more times, and that feature significantly lessens construction costs for projectsinvolving more than one structure.
For an EcoShell I, concrete is layered onto the exterior of thein flated Airform. Usually, the shell is not insulated, but can be by including polystrene beads, vermiculite or perlite into some of the concrete as it’s applied. This insulation and the thermal mass of the concrete does provide some thermal protection.
The EcoShell I is a super-strong structure that can with stand hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fire, termites and rot.
EcoShell I – How it’s used
EcoShells have different uses. In industrialized nations,particularly those with temperate or cold climates, such as the United States, Canada and Great Britain, uninsulated EcoShells make an idealgarage, small warehouse, grain storage, shed or workshop. In other words, possibly with the exception of those living in Hawaii, anEcoShell is not suitable housing for most Americans.
But in the developing world, most of which has a tropical or equatorial climate, EcoShells can provide permanent, secure, easily maintained and – most importantly – affordable housing.
In addition to homes, people living in those areas greatly need food storage facilities, particularly for grains. David B. South, presidentof Monolithic and Chairman of the recently formed, nonprofit Domes ForThe World Foundation (DFTW), said, “Almost 50percent of all stored food grown in developing countries is wasted because they don’t have proper storage. So rice, wheat and other foodsget infested by rats and vermin. A concrete, virtually impenetrable structure could prevent much of that.”
Then too, EcoShell I construction can boost the economy of a developing nation by creating jobs. Much of the construction can be done by hand, and locals can be trained to build them.
“The building process of an EcoShell I is a relatively simple andsafe one,” David said. “If a mistake is made, the EcoShell I is more forgiving than are more complex structures.”
EcoShell I – How it’s built
Monolithic has developed a booklet titled EcoShell I that illustrates and details the construction process, with sixty, captioned drawings. David said, “We already know that most workers – even those who cannot read or speak English – can catch on to how something must be done by studying this booklet’s cartoon like illustrations.” Some of those illustrations are reproduced in this article, at the end of this section. The booklet is available either as a download or purchase through the Monolithic Marketplace.
Construction of an EcoShell I begins with a small group of workers pouring a circular floor, to which the Airform is attached 2 inches in from the edge. The Airform is inflated with a small, high-pressure fan,such as fans used for heavy duty vacuum cleaners. After the Airform is inflated, rebar and then concrete are applied over its exterior.
The concrete can be mixed in a bucket or a fabric mixer and hand applied, or it can be mixed with commercial mixers and sprayed in place with Shotcrete equipment. This latter method obviously takes less man power and at times produces better results. But the former method is also satisfactory and can be completed by inexperienced laborers.
Once the concrete sets, the Airform is removed.
When the EcoShell is to be used for bulk storage, the engineer must calculate the amount of side wall pressure and a corresponding increaseing rebar must be added. In addition, there are several productsavailable to add to the concrete mix that reduce cracking and increase concrete quality.
Since the EcoShell is generally not insulated, it won’t be climate controlled, but its concrete does have some thermal value. And it can be covered with thatching, straw or dirt for insulation. Its roof canbe coated with aluminized asphalt or a high grade exterior paint,preferably white to reflect heat. Recently we have added a layer of concrete that has polystyrene pellets, or vermiculite, or perlite added to it for insulation. Click here to see video explaining this process.
While the EcoShell I has its advantages, it also has its limitations. For example, Monolithic does not recommend building an EcoShell I with a diameter of more than 40 feet (13m). Since men areworking on top of an Airform there is always a risk to them of sudden collapse.
All things considered, the EcoShell is one of construction’s strongest buildings. It is virtually impervious to fire, tornadoes and earth quakes. It is especially practical in countries lacking wood andsteel. Most countries have concrete and rebar on hand. In general,using the same amount of cement, aggregate and rebar, three EcoShells can be built in place of one conventional, concrete structure.
For more information you can contact us. If you would like to help with this project let us know.480 809-7112
God bless you!
Darold Dotson
Darold Dotson
Joy Dotson
