Brigham Young University

Team Name: Wasatch Builders

Build Location: Provo, Utah

This 850 ft² modular monolithic dome design uses elongated reinforced concrete pods that are transportable. 

Project Summary

The Brigham Young University Solar Decathlon team has named the house that we have built the Triple Dome Home. The Triple Dome Home is three connected concrete domes that are transportable and can be taken anywhere a crane can be placed. The team chose the Triple Dome Home because it embodies the three things the team wanted our home to be known for: sustainability, structure, and our unique story.

Design Philosophy

Our main goal behind the design of the house was to address energy consumption during the use of the building’s lifespan. When 40-60% of your energy load comes from your heating and cooling loads, the team made a conscious decision to focus the design of the home on maintaining the temperature within the home. The local Utah area is filled with ample home seekers, with very few starter home options. The team has sought to remedy this with our home, which is more of a starter home in size, that will save the end users money with its energy efficient abilities. We aim to target a young family that cares about sustainability and that is looking to get into a home.

Market Analysis

The client demographic for the Triple Dome Home would be individuals or families that are looking to purchase their first home and want to prioritize sustainable features. These clients could be young adults, couples, or even older couples looking to downsize. From our survey, most people were interested in a home that could reduce the amount of money spent on energy and utilities.

From the survey we collected, 78% of all individuals surveyed were somewhat interested or extremely interested in a house that could save the homeowner 30% on utilities, whereas 60% were somewhat interested or extremely interested in having a home that is friendly to the environment. For the homebuyer, having the high R-value and the thermal massing of the concrete as an almost unbroken envelope will allow the home buyers to save money and use less energy, thus being environmentally friendly.

Our client demographic is either young working professionals, new families, or retired individuals who care more about saving money and less about space. Therefore, our home feels quite significant for the small 800 sq ft home we built. We tailored the house to fit these clients, and it could be a great starter home for anyone looking to enter the market.

The Utah area has had a massive housing shortage over the last decade. More money is in single-family, higher-end residences, and so that is what most builders build in the area. There are increasingly more young individuals who want to live in the area, with fewer houses available for them than ever before. This creates a price increase that can be felt in many areas nationwide. When everything is said and done, we will have the span panel inside the house, which will allow the house to be controlled and energy can be monitored and reduced from the touch of a button. In addition, having the heavily insulated envelope will dramatically decrease the energy needed to be spent on conditioning and heating the air within the structure. With smart energy appliances, the home will be better suited for individuals who want to live in a more energy-efficient household. More energy efficiency will be the Triple Dome Homes' most significant selling point.

Tour

Key Features:

• Recycled concrete
• Monolithic domes
• Earth berm/green roof
• Solar farm.