Ferrocement Super-Insulated Shell House Design and Construction

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to explore the ferrocement building technique for sustainable housing. Ferrocement involves the use of conventional cement with fine aggregate and several layers of steel, with the advantage of higher strength than conventional reinforced concrete, limited formwork and thinner sections. It is particularly suitable for thin shell structures, where geometry minimizes bending loads. Architectural flexibility is one of the main priorities considered in sustainable housing, along with energy efficiency, occupant comfort, resistance to seismic and tornado events, affordability and durability. Ferrocement’s historical and present applications are covered, along with other building techniques, in order to establish best practices and possible improvements. Reducing construction labor is a particular focus, which has limited ferrocement development in recent years. Computer modeling of shell form finding is described, with three case studies created. A structural analysis method is described and applied to each case study to verify general building code safety. Energy modeling is performed in two climates for each case study in the United States and compared to key PassivHaus energy demand limits. Net zero energy use is possible with on-site solar photovoltaic generation.