The shell will be 6" of reinforced concrete with the top insulated with papercrete. Sorry, not too clear in my first post. Of course, it doesn't rain a lot here, average 8" per year and I have deep sugar sand. This is fireproof construction and will not be filled with flammable stuff, and I'm not in an area with an enforced code so no federales in sight. I always build better than codes, which are minimum standards. My water table is 400 feet down - I have had papercrete in contact with the ground and partially buried for eight years now with no adverse effects. I would not trust it to hold up tons of sand. I think it will work fine as insulation for the part of the dome that is closest to the surface of the ground. I probably could get by with none, but I don't want any of the 108 degree summer temperatures seeping in.
I think with the top skylight and windows by the door I'll have enough light, and the fiber later will be for detailed work. Most of my work is on computer anyway and computers supply their own light. It'll be great for sleeping - nice temperature and no noise. Actually it won't be much different from the dome I'm about to finish which has a window above the door and a clerestory below the top pent. It has plenty of light while the sun is up. With 12" of papercrete and solar hydronic heating/cooling it should be almost as comfortable as the underground dome.
Spaceman
Dave wrote:
Very interesting, have you buried PC underground for extended periods before? I'd be a bit leery of trusting PC to hold tons of dirt off of my head, especially if it had been raining a lot. UG homes are cool, but they can be depressingly dark. I guess with enough solar tubes it wouldn't be too claustrophobic, and make sure you have enough fire exits to keep the federales happy. Good luck, Aquaponic Dave --- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, Spaceman <Spaceman@...> wrote:On Sunday George is showing up with his bobcat and 24' airform, and starting Monday we plan to dig a 15' deep hole, blow a concrete/papercrete dome on the bottom of the hole, and put the dirt back on after a few days. There will be a ramp down to a door on the north side and a 2' diameter tube from the peak to ground level for ventilation and light. It should settle at 68 degrees, my annualaveragetemperature. I'll run a few earth tubes for the air intake so I stay at ambient more or less. Later I'll pick up some fiber optics on ebaycheapand place them from work areas to above ground with solar concentrators for task lighting. Spaceman------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/papercreters/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/papercreters/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:papercreters-digest@yahoogroups.com mailto:papercreters-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: papercreters-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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