The exterior is sheathed with a vapor/water barrier from zip systems and also has continuous insulation as well to prevent thermal bridging. All of the seams are taped with their tape and all of the penetrations into the sheathing is sealed with an approved sealant. We do a blower test on the structure to determine the air exchange rate as well.
The structure is engineered, that said no supports are required in the center. Jan 2022 we will have a state wide engineering approval to build which is far more complicated to obtain than just a regular building permit.
The wood frame will rot and is not fire proof . What most people don’t know is that once the interior gets to be over 450 degrees the whole structure will spontaneously combust. Even steel frame buildings burn. There is no such thing as a rot proof or fire proof building. These amateurs are making wild and false claims they can’t keep. These domes are not any better than the stick built ones from the 70s which are now totally obsolete and undesirable. These foreign born millennials have no idea about American design and construction. They are living in fantasy land hoping to get lots of funding from tech VCs. Good luck. But construction and development is a highly regulated industry that is dominated by bureaucracy and inertia. The fact they can’t handle criticism from an American structural engineer with 2000 structures designed and built in the SF Bay Area means they should throttle this turkey in the crib before they actually build one for the general public.
Who wants one in their back yard on this forum?
Resale value with ADU’s are a plus. Resale values with an eyesore/unique/highly customized ADU? Not so much. Lenders are also loath to lend on properties with Dome Housing - ADU or Primary. Nice in theory. Execution? That’s something else.
These remind me of the original satellite dish TV receivers - the ones larger than a patio umbrella. Unique and had a huge wow factor in the 1970’s. TV from SPAAAaaaace!! Later they shrank to Dish TV size. Now they are irrelevant given wireless tech.
