Sigler Residence

Mark and Valerie Sigler live in Pensacola Beach, Florida. Twice their home had been damaged by hurricanes. Last year, the Siglers applied for a special FEMA grant to those whose homes had previously been storm damaged, to tear down their house and build a storm resistant home instead. Out of 11,000 grant submittals, two were accepted and the Siglers were one of them.

My design was based upon the requirement that no living spaces be at the ground level, where they could be destroyed by wind driven water. Only parking was permitted at the first floor. The living, dining and kitchen areas as well as three bedrooms are on the second floor. The master bedroom suite with private sun decks is on the third floor. This suite can be closed off and separate from the rest of the house. The house is rented out during the tourist season, and the owners have the option of leasing out the second floor only or both second and third floors.

A thin shell airformed concrete structural system was selected by the Siglers and approved by FEMA. The design was then approved by the Pensacola Beach Design Review Committee, and the project was a go. The project team was assembled and work had to proceed quickly to meet a very tight time schedule. Robert Bissett helped out with the construction documents and Dr. Arnold Wilson did the shell engineering.

The balloon was fabricated by the Monolithic Dome Institute. For information contact: mail@monolithicdome.com. The shell was built by Southern Comfort Domes www.scdomes.com and the rest of the construction is being managed by the owner. Photos courtesy of Valerie Sigler. For more information see the Sigler’s website: www.domeofahome.com.