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Strength:
Round is the strongest, indeed the optimal shape, whether it be the
trunk of a tree, or a reed of grass in nature - or the whole earth... .
Or when engineers need the strongest shape to build a tower, a plane's
fuselage or ship's hull, round is a more effective form... Optimizing
the related principles of the dome and barrel, combined with our
unrivaled construction methods, logically make our unique structure a
more hurricane, earthquake and tornado resistant home. Our structure
has withstood many tests of natures forces, including the devastating
Kobe earthquake which struck Japan where one of our two story homes,
just 8 kilometers from the earthquake epicenter, survived totally
undamaged, while conventional structures did not. The heavily damaged
city of Kobe was 30 kilometers from the quake's epicenter.
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Energy Efficiency: All of
natures creatures instinctively rely on the round shape for warmer
shelter. A bird's egg, its nest, a rabbit den - all are proof that it
takes less wall area to enclose an equally sized round, than a square
or rectangular space. As such, a round house uses at least 30% less
outer wall area than an identically-sized conventional house. .
Incorporating our energy-conserving layouts and passive solar features,
the highly energy-efficient, clad Pella™ wood windows and our
unique construction techniques of interlocking components make our
structure a super-efficient, airtight home; achieving energy savings of
up to 50% over conventionally built homes. Our components are designed
for insulation factors of R-22 in the floor, R-22 in the walls and R-36
in the roof. Higher values are available.
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Aesthetics: Viewed from
any point, our structure presents a neat "all-around" appearance - as
there is no so-called "rear" of the house. The unique self-supporting
12 feet high domed ceiling imparts an uplifting feeling of openness and
spaciousness.... Looking out, the sweeping window expanse provides a
panoramic view unequaled by the largest flat picture window. From early
dawn till dusk, the sun literally "walks" around the house, changing
the interior ambiance continuously and creating a wonderful sense of
calm and well-being.
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Flexibility and Versatility: Our unique round
structure requires a simple foundation system and can be erected on any
terrain -even a steep hill, or pilings on a beach. The design can be
tailored to any local requirement, i.e. the use of treated wood
thru-out to adapt our structure to adverse tropical climates.
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Design Options: Our
structure is based on a 1,060 square feet (98.5 square meters) module
with a diameter of 36'-7" / 11.15 meters. The structure is available as
a one or two-story, 1,060 or 2,120 square feet (98.5 or 197 square
meters) models. "Additions" or "side-by-side" combinations offer a wide
variety of design choices to over 7,000 square feet.
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Building Codes: Our design exceeds the
requirements of all national as well as stricter European and Japanese
building codes. As such, whether being used as a home in California,
Maine, Florida, Wisconsin or New York; a ski lodge in Colorado; a
classroom in New Mexico; a wildlife observatory in Maryland; a medical
office in South Carolina; a spa in West Virginia; or tea house in
Japan, our unique round structure is the safest, most energy-efficient,
ambient way to build your home. Lastly, only approved environmentally
compatible materials are used in our designs.
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Guarantees: We have been manufacturing our round
HELIX STRUCTURE for almost 40 years. There are over 1,800 HELIX
STRUCTURES built in the United States, the Caribbean Islands and Japan.
We fully guarantee the structure for ten years for all defects in
fabrication. As we can send, at your request, an erection supervisor to
each construction site, you can be assured your structure is erected
properly.
Throughout history, whenever humans thought "round,"
progress occurred. Think of the wheel ...or what Christopher Columbus
did - discover a whole new world! Don't let fashion or tradition
dictate "square" is the right way to go. Be progressive and discover
"Living in the Round" in a stronger and safer HELIX STRUCTURE!
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Click the links below for additional details.