Vigyan Ashram

Technology » Pabal Dome (Engineering)

PABAL DOMES - At Vighyan Ashram, Pabal, you will see many dome shaped structures, which are used as houses, are made by students of Vigyan Ashram. Vigyan Ashram has its special way to create it and VA also has developed this manual which gives you step by step instruction to construct a dome. Dome or geodesic dome is a strong structure. It is made mostly of bamboo. It is environment friendly structure which can be made easily. Try it yourself…

Current Status: VA conducts training on geodesic dome construction for mesons, architect etc. VA also provides kits for dome assembly through it alumni entrepreneurs.

Concerned Person: Kasim Inamdar

Contact Details: Kasim Inamdar ( Phone : 7888183238 , 9766518092)

Email: vapabal@gmail.com

Tags: dome house, low cost house, earthquake sustainable home, ,

Advantages

Economical : The Pabal Dome provides an attractive living space at an extremely economical price of Rs.250/- per sq. foot for conventional construction.
Simple : The Pabal Dome requires simple nut bolting of color coded components, making it ideally suited to do-it-yourself construction. As the construction requires cement or brick masonry, it can easily be carried out by local masons.
No Foundation: Because of its uniform loading, the Pabal dome does not require deep foundations. The anchoring required is simple yet firm, yielding considerable economics in time and money.
Rapid: A team of 8 people can complete the construction in less than a fortnight. The kit can be assembled in one day.
Durable: As the Pabal Dome is constructed of steel and cement, it is as durable as conventional steel, cement and brick construction.
Flexible: Several domes can be interconnected to form interesting housing designs. Beside ferro-cement, cheaper cladding materials, like brick, plastic, thatch etc.
Structure : The uniform distribution of load and the round shape of the dome make it ideal for areas prone to earthquakes and cyclones.

Features

As the walls are almost vertical along the circumference, there is adequate standing space all around the dome.
Internal partitions for toilets, kitchens and separate rooms can be designed to suit individual requirements, making the dome an integral living unit.
Lights, fan, electric points and plumbing are easy to fix in the Ferro-cement shell.
The interior and exterior can be painted as desired.

How to do?

Choose the site: Mark the center by fixing a rod at the point on ground . Do not remove this rod till the foundation is complete.
Make a circle of radius X meter with the help of a string and stick. Sprinkle chalk powder along the line. Where ‘x’ is Dia of Dome / 2.o6.
Fix the position of door.
Divide the circle into 15 equal parts, starting form this point . the chord length is 1.2 meters, for 6m dia Dome. For all sizes, use chord length = dome dia / 5
Dig holes at these points of 1 foot depth and 1 foot diameter
Fix foundation angles temporarily with stones in these pits and level tube.
Assemble the bottom circle of the dome so that your foundation angles are exactly in position. For this take White struts …10 White discs……5 Mixed discs…..10 Red struts……..5
Grout the angles in concrete Measure from center once again to see whether all discs are at same distance from center .
Disassemble the bottom circle.
Build plinth up to the clamps. keep hollows where the disc can bury into the plinth.
Final step is assembly