Current:Home > MyHow dome homes can help protect against natural disasters -FundSphere
How dome homes can help protect against natural disasters
View
Date:2025-04-15 08:30:23
Saint Bernard, Louisiana — Max Begue loves almost everything about living in coastal Louisiana, but hurricane season brings back memories of Katrina in 2005, when his home and neighborhood were washed away, almost as if they never existed.
"We all did," Begue told CBS News when asked if he considered leaving after Katrina. "And a lot of people left. But I chose to stay."
He also chose a geodesic dome for his new house, made of more than 300 interwoven triangles which disperse the wind's pressure.
"I built the dome because I didn't want to go through the process of losing another house," Begue explained.
The dome home is able to withstand winds topping 200 mph. It makes it, essentially, hurricane-proof.
"They thought I was a kook," Begue said of people's reactions when he told them he was building a dome home.
That is not the case anymore. The spherical home is also energy-efficient because surface area is minimized. Begue's electric bills are usually less than $100 a month, about a third of what his neighbors pay.
Domes have long been a part of American architecture, built for their resiliency. Famous examples include the world's first domed stadium, the Houston Astrodome, and the majestic iron dome of the U.S. Capitol.
"We really want to be able to show how geodesic domes are not just stable and resilient, but they are also imminently efficient, and portable, and practical," said Abeer Saha, curator at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
Dome-shaped buildings made of concrete can withstand wildfires, floods and earthquakes. Their shape also allows them to disperse tremendous weight without collapsing. Construction costs are generally higher, but so is the chance of survival.
"We're absolutely not thinking enough about the role of housing and structures in climate change," Saha said.
As part of a focus on extreme weather, the Smithsonian recently re-assembled Weatherbreak — the first geodesic dome built in North America — after four decades in storage. It was first built in 1950 in Montreal, Canada.
- In:
- Storm Damage
- Climate Change
- architecture
- Hurricane
Janet Shamlian is a CBS News correspondent based in Houston, Texas. Shamlian's reporting is featured on all CBS News broadcasts and platforms including "CBS Mornings," the "CBS Evening News" and the CBS News Streaming Network, CBS News' premier 24/7 anchored streaming news service.
Twitter InstagramveryGood! (1948)
Related
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Make eye exams part of the back-to-school checklist. Your kids and their teachers will thank you
- 24 recent NFL first-round picks running out of chances heading into 2024 season
- Dry desert heat breaks records as it blasts much of the US Southwest, forecasters say
- Family of explorer who died in the Titan sub implosion seeks $50M-plus in wrongful death lawsuit
- John Aprea, The Godfather Part II Star, Dead at 83
- Texas Rodeo Roper Ace Patton Ashford Dead at 18 After Getting Dragged by Horse
- Inside Mark Wahlberg's Family World as a Father of 4 Frequently Embarrassed Kids
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Election officials keep Green Party presidential candidate on Wisconsin ballot
Ranking
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- As new real estate agent rule goes into effect, will buyers and sellers see impact?
- Lawyers for plaintiffs in NCAA compensation case unload on opposition to deal
- Woman arrested, charged in Elvis Presley Graceland foreclosure scheme
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Fire breaks out at London’s Somerset House, home to priceless works by Van Gogh, Cezanne
- Garcelle Beauvais dishes on new Lifetime movie, Kamala Harris interview
- Phoenix police launch website detailing incidents included in scathing DOJ report
Recommendation
Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
Maurice Williams, writer and lead singer of ‘Stay,’ dead at 86
DNA search prompts arrest of Idaho murder suspect in 51-year-old cold case, California police say
Perdue recalls 167,000 pounds of chicken nuggets after consumers find metal wire in some packages
What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
Heart disease is rampant in parts of the rural South. Researchers are hitting the road to learn why
As new real estate agent rule goes into effect, will buyers and sellers see impact?
Save up to 50% on premier cookware this weekend at Sur La Table