According to the detailed explanation on the blog, it has a lot of advantages, like the lower energy costs, no rust, no termites...and it also says it's resistant on earthquakes....but what if a larger, much heavier object very close by falls on it? These would have to be placed in a location where they are not too close to larger, taller, non-styrofoam monsters that would crush them to death.

I still think they are cool.

RE-L

Sorry about the double, but if you get enough of these together, you have to have Mayor McCheese running the town with Big Mac patrolling the streets on the lookout for Hamburgler.

The town should also be laid out in a maze-like fashion, but still simple enough that a three year-old can navigate it in about five minutes.

OMG! Ponies!

I'm going to buy two. One of them will be used for storing hamburger patties and hamburger buns. The other one will be used for storing heads of lettuce and tomatoes.

OMG! Ponies!

i would totally live in one of these!

Naoki

Great. Now all it takes is some kid with a pointy stick to turn my house into Swiss Cheese. Nice.

Bauer22

didn't the snorks live in the same thing except under the ocean?

B1663R

Gizmodo-- each PIECE is 175 pounds. It doesn't say how many pieces in a typical dome.

glitch44

I'd get one of these in a heartbeat.

sicknick

A girl spills her nail polish remover and melts a hole in the wall. That couldn't have a high wife-acceptance-factor here or in Japan.

scarbrtj

I wonder if they are coated with some fire resistant coating - or else you're living in a napalm bomb...

Maksimir

They have to be pretty energy efficient, and while they arent what we are used to seeing, if the technology is all they say, why not?

Curves

Spraypaint. That's all I'm saying. Spraypaint.

AndrewJayPollack

Poor Godzilla. I bet these styrofoam houses are not nearly as fun to destroy as proper houses.

Probably feels like stepping on popcorn.

Save Godzilla's habitat!!!

fredcadete

well the advantage to these is that storms just roll right off, and the shape provides a lot of structural integrity.
now i prefer my domes to be sprayed concrete, but more power to the Japanese and their Styrofoam ones.

kadaj_sama

@OMG! Ponies!: haha nice!

superbryant

Speaking of domes, nice icon, Naoki!

itchytooth

That's insane, I can't drink coffee in styrofoam nowadays because it isn't biodegradable, but I could get a throwaway styrofoam house?

@Aaron Stein: Half-domes shapes generate quite a bit of lift in side winds, so unless that thing is nailed solidly to the ground, I could see some fly. Granted, it's better than a flat wall, but still.

J. Nadeau

@Aaron Stein:
My house in St. Paul, MN is " Typhoon resistant" also.
It could just be the location. It looks like the insulation would be better than most houses though.

TerryinSt.Paul

Someone tell me I'm not the only one who read William Kotzwinkle's sequel to E.T., "The Green Planet," and thought of the illustrations of hollowed-out giant turnip houses.

Killjoy

@superbryant: Yes. It degrades the living standard of anyone living in it.

OMG! Ponies! Amazing Bacon Drinks

is it biodegradable???

superbryant

I have to say, it wouldn't take long for a styrofoam city to devolve into a hive of scum and villainy.

OMG! Ponies! Amazing Bacon Drinks

very cool.and i would think that a lot of the 'typhoon resistance' comes from their relatively aerodynamic shape. no places for wind to grab a corner or eave and lift, no shingles to rip off...

Aaron Stein

The external pictures look like a shot of tatooine. Now if only there were two suns...

elint6

Those are awesome. I want to see someone use this concept to provide cheap homes to the poor and homeless instead of creating another stupid resort for the rich and shameless.

nospamsam

And I'm totally not getting the recipient vs recipe joke in the article ...

GeekyNerdGuy

@OMG! Ponies!: I miss those burgers.

How come Chic-Fil-A can still get away with styrofoam containers when all the other chains went to cardboard?

GeekyNerdGuy

Give me all your money, or I shall spray your village with acetone! (evil, sinister laugh)

SigmundTheSeaMonster

Silicone Valley?

ANoel

Teletubbies been doin' this for years.

hakubak

@DisposableInterloper: I drive by that caterpillar all the time. Monolithic dome institute rocks. I like the idea of a solid concrete dome better than styrofoam, but I suppose in an earthquake I'd rather have styrofoam falling on my head than rebar.

Sorry for the shameless plug, but I have done some work myself that is somewhat relevant. Check it out if you have a few minutes to kill at work.

Gann

Ack, I thought URL tags worked. Meh.
[static.monolithic.com]

DisposableInterloper

Looks cool, but I'd rather have a monolithic dome than one of these. Concrete is a bit heavier, and I imagine a bit more tornado resistant and/or hurricane force wind resistant.

DisposableInterloper

@NightElfMohawk: The dome shape should actually do great in a tornado. Those curved metal barns are actually the best structure to take cover in if you're out in the country. My only worry would be if the styrofoam is strong enough to keep trees, cows or whatever from crushing your house.

I think the real key is to have some sort of foundation/mooring system that will keep your styrodome secure in a hurricane, but has a quick-release latch, so you can then float on the ensuing floodwaters.

GeekyNerdGuy

Those actually look pretty cool.

aaj111

I'm not trusting styrofoam in Texas. I think trailer-homes are partially made of that already, and they don't fare so hot against the tornadoes either. Not to mention how well those storms take out normal wood frame houses.

NightElfMohawk

veriation=variation
I can haz editz?

Gann

@GeekyNerdGuy: I would disagree about cheap, but they definitely were designed to be light and easily/quickly assembled. The concept is not new, but the idea of applying it to a dome is. It's basically a spherical veriation on structural insulated panels that, while they have all the benefits listed are actually a little more expensive right now than standard framing.

Gann

@DisposableInterloper: @Gann: Nobody's arguing that concrete isn't sturdier, but these were specifically designed to be light and cheap.

GeekyNerdGuy

@OMG! Ponies! Amazing Bacon Drinks: McDLT Reference FTW! Keepin' the hot side hot and the cool side cool!

Oh, and Godzilla got very excited when he saw these - apparently they're like bubble-wrap to him. Pop! Pop-pop! Pop!

ps61318

house made of 175lbs of material sounds efficient. When can i get a kit at ikea or something?

urbanturban666

@GeekyNerdGuy: It's always said that in a tornado, it's not the wind you need to worry about, it's the debris flying in that wind. Which is why tornado shelters get made of foot-thick concrete or deeper.

NightElfMohawk

This is not just hallucinogenic indigestion from the sixties, it's practically new. Indiginous people have long mastered the art of using indiginous materials to quickly and effectively create dwellings that just work... The Inu invented igloos, for instance... saw up blocks of snow and away you go.
In Japan where they have deforested their land making wood houses with paper walls and sliding doors, exploiting the thousands of hectares of expanded polystyrene foam hills just makes sense. Banzai!

ANoel

@DisposableInterloper: I'm currently in architectural design, working on my architect's license and LEED certification. Thanks, I'm glad you like it. Check back periodically (monthly maybe), I'm in the middle of adding a few more projects.

Gann

So... when they ship a styrofoam house, do they wrap it in peanut sized pieces of wood, concrete and glass?

frigg

@Gann: Howard Roarke threw back his head and laughed. Then he looked at this stuff from Gann, stopped laguhing, and said, "Oh, man, that is COOL!"

Totally awesome.

ps61318

I'm reminded of these things every time I go to Dallas-- good idea I suppose but man they're boring.

Absent Blue

something about the words "typhoon" and "Styrofoam house" in the same sentence, don't sit well with me.

donjumpsuit

I actually think this is a great idea.

More of you guys should actually read the article properly, and think outside the box. Most of the criticism here is easily fixed.
- It has a flame retardant coating
- you can coat it with your own concrete (obviously, it's yours and you can do what you want with it)
- it is modular and you can create larger structures with it
- each PIECE is 175 lbs
- ordinary packing foam is nowhere near the same strength as high density foam
- it doesn't have to be pink
- if you're creative enough you can make it suit your needs and be cool at the same time

Personally, I'd like to build a large 4-dome combination with a concrete foundation and tyndall stone masonry exterior cladding. It'll be recessed into the ground to accommodate larger ceiling heights, 2 floors, 2 bedrooms with a large kitchen and living room. Each dome looks to be around 400 sq ft, roughly 700 sq ft if it were 2-floors with the recessed floor I mentioned. All in all for half the price of a condo downtown, it's possible to have a 2.5k-2.8k sq foot house.

Migo

@Gann:
So are you like an architect or designer or engineer or what? Pretty sweet work, I must add.

DisposableInterloper

Sounds like a more prefabulous approach to the Monolithic Dome, which is manufactured in the unlikely sounding town of Italy, Texas.

adamrice

resambles me to Goku's house in Dragon Ball

yuri_ha

@ps61318: BTW, your Roarke comment just made my day.

Gann

@ps61318: Thanks, though idea is unfinished. Anyone here have any experience programming complex particle systems?

Gann

@frigg: (long time no viddie, droog)

That's very funny! I see what you did there! Laughing!

ps61318

Not that there's anything wrong with mushrooms, but ICF has been around for a while, and the dome shape isn't required. Rectangular rooms have some advantages when hanging pictures and buying furniture.

-z

ztunji

@ztunji: Yeah, but if you lived in a Smurf-Yurt, you'd probably be the earthy-crunchy mural painting kind of person. Plus, who needs furniture when you can sit on stools made from reclaimed wood and mats made from newspaper.

OMG! Ponies! Amazing Bacon Drinks

Damn! I wanted to connect Godzilla and bubble wrap, @ps61318

MarlboroTestMonkey7

And in case of a 40-day 40-night flood, turn it upside down and it becomes a boat. And if climate change forces you to relocate, put wheels on it and head north.

Seriously, though, these are very cool. Not sure that I'd want to live in one though.

stryder100

OMG! It's the village of Barbapoppa!

+ Watch video

Margatron

Say goodbye to eco-friendly housing solutions.
At least if a flood happens, everyone's houses will float away unharmed.

tehwonderboy

regarding typhoon resistance...

Domes are quite strong, instead of blowing the roof off but getting wind under the edge and turning it into an airfoil, you transfer the wind-load from the wall/ceiling into the ground via the arch.

couple that with a lower drag coefficient, and as long as it's anchored to it's foundation it ought to be staying put.

joelja

@MarlboroTestMonkey7: Some days the rat wins, my friend.

ps61318

I think the fake rock path is violating design copyright from Animal Crossing

brutek

Didn't tommy bartlett already pioneer the foam house back in the 70's?

toyotaboy

Just what the world needs right now: housing made from oil.

They do seem to have some advantages, though.

wwalkersd

@superbryant: "is it biodegradable???"

It better not be.

@Gann: "but the idea of applying it to a dome is."

Not really. I remember reading about "Foam Dome" houses 35 years ago. These were built on-site by constructing a wire frame and spraying the foam on. I thought it wqas a great idea then and still do.

GadgetPlay

Teletubbies have taken over the housing market. These houses look very good but cannot imagine this being practical in Japan where there is not much space as they had to build sky scrapers to bury their dead.

ggvrsn

There's a big sign out front that says "Absolutely no BB guns allowed".

maven2k

I give it about a year before the environmentalist retards get these banned

Diskoboy

@Mr.SithNinja: "chock full"

Mr.SithNinja

This is just chock fouul of awesomeness! I would buy 2, link them together and live happily ever after in a giant pair of boobs! (Someone HAD to say it).

Mr.SithNinja

@GadgetPlay: Actually, the monolithic dome institute uses 2 layers of sprayed-on foam in their construction also. What I meant to refer to was the prefab modular foam system.

Gann

Styrofoam is highly solvent in petroleum among other products. 1 Gallon could probably turn the whole villiage into Napalmville.

Stephen-Bees

if the home is coated with uv protection & fire & chemical resistant properties are built in & made affordable,i'd want one. maintenace costs & energy costs would almost be nothing. i don't understand why this wasn't done before. also this would make great housing for developing nations,the displaced & low income families looking for a starter home. i want one.

Luigi1

@Margatron: What the hell is this European crap? Does anything blow up? Are there helicoptors or swords? If not, it blows.

OMG! Ponies! Amazing Bacon Drinks

These look like something outta Teletubbies

Pi-face

Actually, the Japanese Government is only obsessed with safety when confronted with a foreign product (preemptive strike) or natural disaster (post-event cover-up), unless the developers are handing out bags of cash. Sorry ... it's been one of those days.

The brown ones look like a village of takoyaki (octopus balls, see [en.wikipedia.org]).

TokyoDevil