thesis question

What is the best way to build round? so far it looks like the monolithic domes are the best I've seen.

monolithic domes

wow, just stumbled upon this while on youtube. Really cool and good explanation of how domes/circular buildings are in fact cost effective and stronger than typical buildings.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yJfcnIFYqg

The only round building i could find in kamloops (other than the ones on campus) this is the ramada hotel on columbia street.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog, the intent of the blog is to share with others the research about round residential housing that I will be conducting and for feedback and suggestions from others.

Research Proposal

Summary statement of proposed project


Structural isulated panels (SIP’s) in conjunction with building round homes, is it cheaper? faster? and better? that is compared to the typical wood frame construction technique. This is what my research will be focused on. Along with the energy savings and advantages of using SIP’s and the comparison of labour costs of using the SIP’s versus the use of wood frame construction.

The purpose


The researchs purpose will be to try and  prove that it is feasiable to save money, time, and energy in the building of residential houses. And could change the way that the general public and architects look at the way they are constructing new residential developments everywhere.

Goals and Objectives


Idealy the research will show exactly how much quicker and more well insulated it is to use SIP’s versus wood frame construction. Another goal of the research is to show that when SIP’s are used in and circular application versus a typical rectangular building, that it is possiable to also make it cheaper to use them.

Methodology and analytical approach


The steps i will take to sucsessfully find an answer to the question, is it cheaper to build round and use SIP’s rather than rectangular and typical wood frame construction, and how much quicker is it to use the SIP’s versus wood frame are.
First, using the average square footage of a house, find out how much less wall materials it requires to enclose the area in a circle rather than a square. Then price how much the materials for each would cost by calling various sources and getting the price of the materials. Followed by pricing out the labour costs which will be the most difficult part as most places will not give an estimate on projects that are not going to be built therefore i plan to talk with a company in nelson B.C that builds round houses (that i have applied for a job at) to discuss round buildings and reasons that we should be building round, also possiable price of construction for the average project.
Finally, comparing the two methods of construction and there times of construction and the price of each to answer the question is it cheaper to build round and use SIP’s rather than rectangular and typical wood frame construction.
While working on the pricing of the materials and the labour costs i will also be finding out how much better the insulation (R value) value of the SIP’s are versus the wood frame construction method by looking at buildings that have been built using each method. Then factoring in the cost savings over time to go along with the original/initial pricing of each  method of construction.

Previous studies


The intension of the research will be much similar to others that have been done before with the addition of circular buildings, previous research done by Abdy Kermani and Robert Hairstans in the article Racking Performance of Structural Insulated Panels where they talk about the structural strength of the SIP’s versus the typical wood frame construction along with the reduction of heat loss due to the lack of thermal bridging between the outside air and inside.
Another article that will aid in the gathering of information is On the heat transfer rate reduction of structural insulated panels (SIPs) outfitted with phase change materials (PCMs)
by Mario A. Medina, Jennifer B. King, and Meng Zhang. to find more specific information on the heat transfer involved in using SIP’s.
My research will incorperate the information from these papers and will hopefully find that it can be less expensive or the same price as wood frame construction with the advatage of a more well insulated house that will reduce heating costs.

Plans for dissemination of work


My research will be shared with other via a blog on the internet that i will create myself and it will also be shared by the paper itself.