G.C Huston Public School beginning fundraising for their new Monolithic Dome outdoor classroom

After many ongoing discussions among teachers, students, parents and other members of the community it has been decided that after much anticipation, the outdoor classroom will be a Monolithic Dome. Great Lakes Dome Company was approached as a possible contractor for the original concept and naturally we offered them the dome concept as food for thought. Consequently it now seems unanimous among teachers and students that this is the route they want to go. The fundraising effort will soon be on its way as soon as the information can be gathered together in a presentation display board. We have offered some renderings of what we suggest the structure could look like. Thanks to Darrell Grubb of Design Works and his artistic talents we were able to produce some very attractive renderings of the proposed classroom. Have a look!

Southampton Studio takes shape

One of our latest projects is a unique studio living space in Southampton ontario. It is a 24ft two story structure and encompasses about 700 sq ft.  This structure is still under construction but much of the interior is complete. The project is an evolving one with time spent cultivating new ideas and approaches to the finishing details. This size structure would lend itself well to a guest house, small cottage or workshop. We will post new images as the dome progresses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This structure is the first dome that we have constructed with a full height stem wall. This design allows for a small footprint with a second floor option

Home Energy Magazine features the energy ratings of a GLDC dome

For 25 years, Home Energy magazine has been providing objective and practical information on residential energy efficiency and performance. Most of the magazine’s editorial content comes directly from the people researching and employing innovative design, building and remodeling practices and products.
In the November/December 2008 issue, the magazine turns its attention to one of the most energy-efficient homes on the market: Monolithic Domes. Click here to read the article.

The article features Sunny & Becky’s Southampton Dome built in 2006.

Toronto International Home Show

GLDC at Toronto International Home Show captivates many!

Over the Thanksgiving weekend October 2005, Great Lakes Dome Company captured the attention of hundreds of unsuspecting passers by. As the masses of people flooded the isles of displays, it became obvious that the options for consumers in the market for a new home have changed. Great Lakes Dome Company offers a unique and appealing product that is sure to take the industry by storm.

This innovative product, although not new to the industry, is a thin shell, super insulated concrete dome structure with numerous advantages over conventional methods of construction. As engineered structures they are extremely energy efficient, disaster resistant with life spans measured in centuries. Other notable advantages are that they require almost no ongoing maintenance, provide the owner with low insurance rates and virtually unlimited free span design potential.

Putting all these outstanding advantages aside, the most common reactions to the various dome images that were displayed at the show were awe and intrigue.

No place like Dome

Oct. 30, 2004. 01:00 AM

No place like dome
Monolithic Dome house is even more energy-efficient than traditional-style R2000 homes Home of future `Looks like a cross between an igloo and a Hobbit’s house,’ Roberta Avery reports

ROBERTA AVERY
SPECIAL TO THE STAR

SOUTHAMPTON, Ont.—While some of the adults touring Sunny and Rebecca Cushnie’s Monolithic Dome house during a fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity seemed to have difficulty getting their heads around the radical design, the children loved it.

“This is the home of the future. This is what a lot of homes will look like when you grow up,” Collin MacLeod, who with Sunny Cushnie, owns and operates the Great Lakes Dome Co., told some of the children who visited the home during the Thanksgiving weekend.

MacLeod, who has worked for the last decade in the construction industry as a carpenter building traditional style homes, and Cushnie, whose background is as an electrician, decided to join forces to bring Monolithic Domes to Canada.

Based on a concept developed by David South of Italy, Texas, Monolithic Domes are more than 50 per cent more energy efficient than traditional style homes, said MacLeod.

The Cushnies’ 2,200 square-foot, four-bedroom, two-bathroom home, believed to be one of the first of its kind in Canada, certainly raised a few eyebrows. Southampton is in Bruce County, about 230 km from Toronto.

“It looks like a cross between an igloo and a Hobbit’s house,” said one woman, referring to the dome style homes seen in the Lord of the Rings movies.

Inside, the home is much bigger than it appears to be from the outside. The two-storey great room includes an open-concept kitchen and an open staircase to the upper floor, where there are two bedrooms, which are small because of the curve of the roof.

On the outer ring of the lower floor, there are two more spacious bedrooms and a bathroom and a passage way leading to a second smaller dome, which houses a master bedroom.

The domes are built by inflating a vinyl tent-like balloon on top of a concrete pad. Window and door openings are then sealed off before the interior walls of the balloon are sprayed with polyurethane. Up to 3,000 steel reinforcing bars, or rebar, are attached to the foam using special “hooks” embedded in the foam. The rebar is placed in a specially engineered layout of hoop and vertical steel rebar to form a birdcage-like structure. Shotcrete, a special spray mix of concrete, is sprayed onto the interior surface of the polyurethane foam, embedding the rebar. After three inches of shotcrete is applied, the Monolithic Dome becomes a steel-reinforced, concrete structure

“Monolithic Domes have real strength. They can withstand the force of a tornado, hurricane or earthquake. They cannot burn, rot or be eaten by bugs,” said MacLeod.

The vinyl balloon stays in place to form an exterior lining for the roof and walls, which can be finished in stucco or concrete, or even cedar shingles.

The result is a home full of interesting curved angles that’s a soothing, restful place to live, said Cushnie, who has lived in the dome house since it was built in the early spring with his wife, Rebecca, and children Willow, 3, and Layla, seven months.

“There’s a comfortable feel and warmth about it,” said Cushnie.

The home, which consists of two domes, one 40 feet in diameter, the other 24 feet, is kept warm by radiant floor heating and its concrete construction and super insulation keeps it cool in summer.

The house is connected to the power grid, but the goal is to install a wind generator and solar panels to make it energy self-sufficient.

And there is no construction waste.

“When I used to work on building sites, I was often appalled at all the wasted materials that are discarded after a home is built,” said MacLeod.

South’s patented design allows concrete domes to be built from 300 feet to 1,000 feet in diameter. These huge structures are ideal for indoor sports facilities, stadiums, churches and schools.

For more information contact MacLeod at 1-519-389-0919 or Cushnie at 1-519-797-1078/519-389-0927 or click on http://www.gldc.ca