Re: design help with dome house problems - low income

"L Rand" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> > I want to design and build concrete igloos in the desert of west texas
> > for low income people.. there are no building codes or zoning issues
> > to deal with.. anything goes...
> > Ok the problem to design an inexpensive house that anyone can build
> > with inexpensive materials from a kit consisting of a 3-5 foot
> > concrete mixer plus a mold to cast the blocks.
> > My concept is to design a dome house built like an igloo or geodesic
> > dome with concrete..
> > Id like the building to be 24' diameter, walls to be 6" thick and the
> > blocks to be about 18" wide and tall... made from 4 bag concrete mix
> > using local sand and gravel from the site.
> >
> 
> Only four bags of mix combined with local sand suggests that this is adobe
> and I don't think that adobe should be in a dome shape...

adobe is clay based, i want to usethelocal sand and gravel classified correctly.

> 
> So I would make a re-bar frame and position a plywood mold in place and pour
> 2'' to 3'' concrete over the frame...

Plywood mold.. sounds difficult....

> 
> Since concrete and re-bar is needed just go back to adobe and give up the
> dome shape. Then the adobe makes the basic structure with minimum material
> and only flooring and roofing must be found.
> .

The romans did not use rebar and many arches are still standing today!