OCTAGON HOMES
OCTAGON ARCHITECTURE INTRODUCTION
The octagon design mode may be the first pure American Housing Style, considering the most previous buildings forms were adapted from European Architecture. Thomas Jefferson was one of America's earliest advocates of octagon configurations, designing over 50 buildings with manifested octagonal feature. An octagon garden schoolhouse enhances George Washington 's stately Mount Vernon. Mark Twain wrote Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn in an octagonal study patterned after a riverboat pilot's cabin. But the leading promoter of eight-sided structures was Orson Squire Fowler. Fowler made his mark on American Architecture when he touted the advantages of octagon homes over rectangular and square structures in his widely publicized book: THE OCTAGON HOUSE, A HOME FOR ALL. According to Fowler:" An octagon house was cheaper to build, allowed for additional living space, received more natural light, was easier to heat, and remain cooler in the summer ".
By adopting this unique design we offer octagon steel framing kits providing an affordable, durable and efficient alternative to wood framing housing. Our construction steel kits can be used in a variety of buildings, such us coastal & mountain homes and resorts, retreats etc. for a variety of geographic and environmental settings. They are constructed on site using modern steel tube slip-fit connected framing components. Compared to other housing systems in their price range our structures are cheaper, providing longer lasting low maintenance home with none of the drawbacks of traditional wood framing housing such as mold, termites, wood root and storm damage. They can be finished in a variety of traditional materials such as vinyl siding, fiber cement, insulated wood log siding, as well as contemporary materials as steel coated in energy star finishes. The octagon shape allows the owner or developer to design the lay out of their buildings in any way they wish. No interior load bearing walls means that they can be positioned anywhere within the footprint of the building.The engineering and all steel design has proven to be superior in strength, versatility and energy efficiency versus wood construction. Steel is technologically advanced & builds better structures. * No termite & mold, lower premium insurance .* Hurricane, tornado & earthquake resistant, non-combustion . * 360 degrees panoramic view * types of foundations: Slab on Grade, Crawl Space or basement and Pier Systems. * Designed to meet or exceed hurricane wind forces of 170 mph (wind load requirements for East, Gulf coastal areas and the Caribbean Islands).
Octagonal Shape Advantages
1-Wind can’t build up enough pressure on any side to cause a structural failure. 2- Optimum roof pitch (30 degrees) for wind deflection and reduced lift. 3- Octagonal structure transfers environmental loads most efficiently.4- Energy from wind is dispersed instead of building up in a single area.5- 14 gauge galvanized steel used in trusses and walls is 4 times as strong as typical wood framing material.6 . Optional galvalume metal used on top of the OSB on exterior walls and roof strengthens the home and prevents flying debris from penetrating the structural envelope. 7- Reinforced windows with impact glass and storm shutters to prevent wind and water from hurricane situations. 8-Oversized truss hangers keep roof system anchored to walls.9- Walls are firmly attached by to the floor system for structural stability and to transfer shear forces.10- Continuous metal connection from roof trusses to walls helps maintain structural stability.For more information on the octagon kits please fill out the contact form and send it to us
Note: Certain home shapes and roof types can better resist high winds and hurricanes, according to a researcher at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). Civil engineer Rima Taher, PhD, special lecturer in the New Jersey School of Architecture at NJIT. She spent two years examining the findings of research centers that have studied the best designs and construction materials and methods needed to withstand extreme wind events and hurricanes.From this work and other studies Taher recommended the following construction considerations for homeowners in hurricane & tornado prone regions :
* A home with a square floor plan (or better a hexagonal or octagonal plan) with a multiple-panel roof (4 or more panels) was found to have reduced wind loads.* Roofs with multiple slopes such as a hip roof (4 slopes) perform better under wind forces than gable roofs (2 slopes). Gable roofs are generally more common because they are cheaper to build. A 30-degree roof slope is the most efficient for high winds. For more information please copy and paste https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619155735.htm
