The Triple Dome Home—A Brigham Young University Project
The Triple Dome home is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom experimental home constructed at Brigham Young University to test eco-friendly materials, solar energy production, and long-term energy usage.
The Triple Dome is an innovative, eco-friendly model home developed at Brigham Young University (BYU). Over 50 BYU students from various disciplines collaborated on the project, which emphasizes energy efficiency through its Monolithic Dome design and innovative materials like fiberglass rebar, triple-paned windows, and improved foam formulation.
The two-bedroom, two-bathroom home features a unique solar array with 17 bifacial panels that generate power from both direct sunlight and reflected light. According to professor Andrew South, the Triple Dome produces twice the energy it consumes, supporting both the home and an electric vehicle.
The project allowed students to gain hands-on experience in sustainable design and construction. They submitted the project to the Department of Energy Solar Decathlon and the 2023 Orange County Sustainability Decathlon.
The inflated Airform created the triple-dome shape on the BYU campus. Spacers added during construction allow each module to separate for transport.
The structure comprises three interconnected modules and includes a solar pergola for carport space. The design allows for portability and adaptability, although this added complexity during construction. The Monolithic Airform membrane inflated as three bread loaf-shaped structures, or modules, each is 12 feet (3.7 m) wide, 28 feet (8.5 m) long, and 11 feet (3.4 m) tall with a total floor area of 850 square feet (79 m²). During construction, spacers were added so the modules—currently bolted together—could be separated and transported.
It was planned to transport the home to Costa Mesa for the Sustainability Decathlon, but that fell through. Instead, the BYU team constructed a 20-foot (6 m) diameter “foam dome” as a demonstration structure.
Over 6,000 people toured the Triple Dome home as part of the Utah Valley Parade of Homes.
Currently located on the BYU campus, the plan is to move the Triple Dome from Provo, Utah, to the Lytle Ranch Preserve, a 700-acre (283 ha) ranch owned by BYU in southern Utah. Temperature, weather, and other sensors will be added. The team will monitor the structure in the long term to quantify real-world versus theoretical performance.
The main entrance opens into the living room and dining area.
The main bedroom of the model home demonstrates the curved high ceilings that naturally form inside a Monolithic Dome home.