I have been thinking of this topic allot being that it seems to be the primary method of forming domes. The compass arm, and how one one chooses to use it, is a direct influence on the shape one ends up getting. Are there any more ideas by you Domies on how one could get interesting and structurally sounds dome shapes?

I hear you at 54, 62 here. But the air crete is way better than Adobe blocks or cinder blocks. I have some old, repurposed stainless steel solar battery trays I line with plastic drop cloth to pour into. Cut chicken wire to fit the form as reinforcement. Form is thick as a fist, as wide as elbow to knuckle, as tall as most women (don't remember metric to US)

😞 Dam you will be missed bro.

According the rocket mass heater theory as I understand it, the best place and time to get power for your system is the riser itself. The force of movement generated in the riser will draw in the fresh oxygenated air and push out the exhaust. After the exhaust gas has cooled, it is considered counterproductive to direct it upward against gravity. The power of the riser is significantly increased by every inch of its height and by each additional 100ºF. The more power a riser produces, the longer it's horizontal exhaust can be, the more heat can be extracted into the mass.

Great inspiration. There are many conversations on this forum on this topic. Here is one of my favorites: Aircrete and earth-berming

@annesley said

Cochise county AZ...has an alternative builders program...you can opt out of all inspections and build whatever you want.

This is remarkable. Here is the link to the building code referred to.

Annesely, it does say that this "does not exempt owner-builders from statewide codes such as the plumbing and fire codes and regulations regarding smoke detectors, nor does it exempt owner-builders from fire codes adopted by fire districts or the County."

How did you deal with these state codes?

@zander Thank you for info! Will contact him.

@brian-spooner Later after I get the journey dust off me rofl I will post some links to other pioneers who like me are doing good work in this field. Maybe I will tell the story of how I came to know of this process. Air Crete and afordable sensible housing and free energy Its an honor to be involved in every way

@marwan-k
What are you wanting to protect?

@zander Just think of all the replacement fireproof housing needed in California!

@zander
Yes. That's right when only including materials for shell construction with the cement. That's not including labor, water, tools, and finishes like doors windows, lighting and cabinetry. This is why I priced $100-150. Finish is generally at least triple in cost...

the finished dome might not be perfectly rounded

Perhaps perfectly round is over rated. Well defined geodesic domes can be very artistic. I suppose the rounder it is the stronger it is though.

Hi KatherineAirDoug, I am in the same situation that you are. Our HOA requires us to build a min 1500 sq ft home. No other restrictions other than that so I can pretty much do what I want. The wife and I are hip on the geodesic style type home and really like the simplicity of the aircrete system. I was doing some research and came across a website called Domearama.com. This site has a section, (calculators) that you can input any different parameters and it will give all the information automatically. In our case though we want the geodesic type style, and on this site it instructs you at what lenghts to cut conduit, and what angles to bend the ends before assembly to create a open shell if you will on any size or V frequency that you desire. Once the shell is completed the we are going to attach a rigid mesh on the outside of the conduit frame then heat shrink plastic on top of that. Then we will commense the standard aircrete block laying procedure that these fine folks do at the workshops, however there will be angles to cut but still same process. Once the dome is complete, and the skin is on the outside, then begin dismantling the frame inside, and lay the skin on the inside walls. Our plans is to reuse the conduit frame to build the other domes that will connect to each other. Our home needs to be 1500 sq ft so we plan to construct (3) 500 sq ft domes to satisfy the HOA's request. The property we have is similar to what you are describing, a lot of trees, so we will build around, next too, the trees how ever we want, but the trees stay. They where there before we where. I do not think that strait wall will work, but I am not an expert, or claim to have knowledge in this area, but some on this forum could prolly guide you whether or not is is feesable to do that. I hope I was some help. I want to use aircrete for the foundation, but I myself need to know how much hard concrete on top I need to apply to make it stable when one walks on it to keep it from collasping. I hope I was some help, this is the wife and I's plans on how we are going forward, it is a little different from the norm the way the domes are constructed on this site, we are always up for a challenge.

Here is DomeGaia's somewhat official statement on aircrete domes and building codes. I like that it is much more positive than my personal view.

First, check with the local building regulations. Usually you can build unpermitted structures up to a certain size. In Hawaii you can build unpermitted up to 200 sqft on residential land, and 600 sqft on ag land.

You may find that it's not a big deal to get your Aircrete structure permitted. People build unconventional permitted structures all the time. Typically a stamp from an engineer licensed in your area is required to release the county of any liability. Here in Hawaii the authorities only interfere if there is a complaint. You could go to your neighbors and show them your plans to build without a permit. If they are like most people, they'll want you to build one for them too!

Unconventional structures, such as Aircrete domes, typically require a stamp of approval from an engineer or architect licensed in your county. This releases the county from liability. You'll have to check with your local building department for specifics. Your building department may even recommend an engineer or architect to you.

I will be documenting and posting my build and experiences. I want this tech to spread. We are all relatively new to this and we are all learning. I will be soaking up all knowledge and experiences I can get.

@biggz-almighty Maryland is long. Where in Md? I live in Alexandria, Va.

@zander Yep I know the feeling. Kinda makes A.I. look redundant. All customer service these days seems to go this way in some variant or other. Guess the way it looks to me is two fold. The consumer generaly is left feeling pretty darned frusterated. And the CORPERATION gets off scott free. Often because by the time you get to the end you cannot be bothered. Insuch matters a human touch is needed. Something our world and its people is bereft of. and it certainly shows in the way many interact. Good on you for at least trying to get it sussed.

That's what I was thinking - The slopes that I'm concerned about are far from any running water. Using aircrete in a tire would replace using concrete or stone in a tire and to me the prime advantages would be fewer bags of cement and a much lighter mass to move around.

@Zander Got to love this. And Yep all things get stored I often wonder how much junk must be stored in order to find one gem of usefull information. Ok I think a better method is to finish a vid and link thru youTube. Great stuff happening here I wish I could effortlessly share it. But alas nope However the key note is never stop trying 🙂

your welcome 🙂