Tornado-Resistant Home Construction Options
The Options:
1. Tipi*
2. Wood platform framing with special
connectors
3. Steel frame with special connectors
4. Geodesic dome with high-wind package*
5. Full log construction with special
connectors*
6. Sandwich of brick with reinforced
concrete center*
7. Rectangular reinforced concrete
8. Reinforced concrete dome
9. "Safe room" per FEMA 320*
10. Earth lodge*
1. Tipi*
2. Wood platform framing with special
connectors
3. Steel frame with special connectors
4. Geodesic dome with high-wind package*
5. Full log construction with special
connectors*
6. Sandwich of brick with reinforced
concrete center*
7. Rectangular reinforced concrete
8. Reinforced concrete dome
9. "Safe room" per FEMA 320*
10. Earth lodge*
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| Mandan earth lodge U.S. Army Center of Military History |
Notes
1. Tipi manufacturers can be found in ads in Native American - oriented magazines,
newspapers, and mail-order catalogs.
4. Geodesic dome manufacturers put ads in housing-oriented magazines, and may
have websites.
5. Log home companies can be located through magazines on log homes; ask
manufacturer about connecting rods, and what's needed to secure roofs.
6."Pioneering Construction Ideas..." in Architectural Forum , January 1950, pp. 80-81,
about rowlock brickwork with reinforced concrete filling. Recent research indicates
more closely-spaced rebar is advisable.
9. FEMA 320 "Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building a Safe Room for Your Home or
Small Business" (888) 565-3896 http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1536
FEMA 342 "Building Performance Assessment Report: Oklahoma and Kansas
Tornadoes of May 3, 1999 - Observations, Recommendations, and Technical
Guidance" (800) 480-2520 http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1423
10. Domical earth lodges were built (using log inner frame and shell) by several
indigenous nations including Pawnee, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara; and have as
much as 3' of soil covering the exterior. A car-drop test will verify the specifications
of the reinforced concrete inner shell needed for a modernized version of the earth
lodge.
1. Tipi manufacturers can be found in ads in Native American - oriented magazines,
newspapers, and mail-order catalogs.
4. Geodesic dome manufacturers put ads in housing-oriented magazines, and may
have websites.
5. Log home companies can be located through magazines on log homes; ask
manufacturer about connecting rods, and what's needed to secure roofs.
6."Pioneering Construction Ideas..." in Architectural Forum , January 1950, pp. 80-81,
about rowlock brickwork with reinforced concrete filling. Recent research indicates
more closely-spaced rebar is advisable.
9. FEMA 320 "Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building a Safe Room for Your Home or
Small Business" (888) 565-3896 http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1536
FEMA 342 "Building Performance Assessment Report: Oklahoma and Kansas
Tornadoes of May 3, 1999 - Observations, Recommendations, and Technical
Guidance" (800) 480-2520 http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1423
10. Domical earth lodges were built (using log inner frame and shell) by several
indigenous nations including Pawnee, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara; and have as
much as 3' of soil covering the exterior. A car-drop test will verify the specifications
of the reinforced concrete inner shell needed for a modernized version of the earth
lodge.