Strong and Windproof
Triangulated spherical structures have legendary strength-to-weight ratios. The Allard hub and strut system includes double bolted, double aluminum hub connectors which have extraordinary compression, tension and rotational strength.
The concrete second floor in my Model 130 hangs from the dome at the 8 foot point.
The dome is transparent to wind. It slips silently over ours, then bends the 100 foot tall oak forest around us.
You can, however, hear the first raindrop. Lying in bed on a rainy night is amazing.
Healthy Shape?
A conventional box house consists of 90 degree corners, though none exist in nature.
I have noticed that people like the "feel" of the soft shape. I live in a brightly lit, calming space, filled with fresh air.
Healthy Light
A conventional box house uses as few windows as it can because windows represent heat loss. By minimizing them to solve that problem, they also minimize the amount of light that comes in.
The Allard dome is flooded with warming sunlight, especially on the coldest days, which also happen to be the clearest and sunniest.
Healthy Air
Modern box-home owners are hung-up on sealing every crack. They use caulking and weatherstripping. Then they breathe the same stale air for the whole winter. No wonder people get sick in the early spring.
The Allard solar dome house has a surplus of heat, so it can "afford" lots of fresh air which comes through open windows on cold sunny days, and is continuously pumped in by a small blower. 100 CFM completely replaces the air in the dome every five hours. With the house under slight positive pressure, air leaks out, not in. There are no drafts or cold spots.