This topic could easily fit in any of the main three categories. I chose this one because it lends itself to "chewin' the fat", so to speak.

I have been researching concrete domes as alternative housing. I have primarily looked at the information presented by the Monolithic Dome Institute in Italy, Texas. Monolithic Dome Institute

From what I can tell they are strong and enery-efficient.

Any and all opinions and suggestions are more than welcome.

See ya 'round the fire....

Strong, certainly, but fugly as well. Perhaps I'd like it better if it were mostly covered with dirt. I just don't find the shape appealing, or rather I don't find the shape appealing from the outside. The indoor space, however, is another thing entirely. I've seen some spectacular examples of dome home interiors.

That seems odd to me, because I love the way my Eureka K2-XT looks...

That's just my opinion, of course.

As for energy efficiency, you can make just about any type of structure energy efficient if you're an intelligent builder.

On a side-note, creating concrete expends a lot of energy. So, if you're worried about total impact of building a home it might not be the best option, but if you're only worried about the bills it's not so bad.

Of all the alternative types of housing out there, I like the partially underground/earth berm types the most though I have to admit that quite a few of them can be ugly as well. Earthships as one particular example of this type of house seem like a great idea to me, but they're relatively new as a concept, and there are some horror stories out there to rival the successes.

I also like the idea of rammed earth homes.

What angle (pardon the pun) in particular are you looking to discuss, MoBOB?

My family used to live in an underground house near Casper, WY. That place was awesome. It was something like 12" of concrete, 18" of styrofoam insulation and six feet of earth. It had skylights for natural light and triple pane glass windows in the back. Place never got colder then 68 degrees farenheit (even at multiple tens below zero). It also had a well designed fireplace that could heat the whole house, and it was a big house. And when the wind was blowing 60 miles an hour out side, you couldn't even hear it inside. Incredible house, absolutely fantastic.

They are tough, relatively inexpensive for how long they'll last, and they go up quick.

They are a challenge to outfit- the outer walls have no square corners, and many of the layouts rely on funny angles on the interior walls as well. Custom made furniture, while wonderful, gets ridiculously expensive fast.

If you want to see what can be done with these and taking a beating, google: "eye of the storm" +dome.

My brother wants to get one of those and paint it to look like a giant eyeball.

That's what I'm talking about.

68º year round because it's built deep enough into the ground to take advantage of the constant temperature at that depth. 68º is easy to live in anytime of year.

If you hook that up to solar, wind or micro-hydro, get some high efficiency appliances, set up a rain catchment system and so on, you're ready for just about anything.

Awesome!

And unlike buying and outfitting an old missile silo as a home, you are NOT on anybody's targeting list!!!!!!

Yes, once on somebody's targeting list, RARELY is a facility removed from those targeting lists.

That's my honest OPINION!

Or you can look at things like old silos this way- if your mailing address is on the list, unless you are at work or traveling, you're preparations for nuclear winter are complete. And an ICBM or SLBM beats the postal service.

Thanks to everyone for their great feedback on this thread.

I have sort of looked at the Earthship thing, along with strawbale and similar structures. What I find is that I am not sure I can get the disaster resistance level as high in them as I can in a fugly dome. BTW, I have toured the facility in Texas and gone through the homes. It is amazing how quickly you forget that this thing is round. Nicely done. I recommend it to anyone who can visit them, or go to an open house near you. It may change your perspective.

I will try to visit an Earthship structure and any other alternatives as the opportunity arises. I love to research this stuff and build up my reference library (mental and physical) with this information.

While building a dome is "energy-intensive" (fossil fuel use) and new materials intensive (polyurethane foam insulation, rebar) I am leaning towards it right now.

I may be biased because I have done more research on this option versus any other. I will need to direct my energies into other methods so as to get a balanced view.

Again, thanks a ton for the feedback and opinions.