At the precasting factory, special forms were built for each type of dome piece. These included: hexagons, pentagons, and two sizes of quarter-cylinders. Here we see the form for a hexagon.

Reinforcing bar was placed in the form. Expanded polystyrene block outs were inserted at places where openings were needed in the particular piece being formed

 

Special block outs were used to make the "butterfly" ties that were used to "stitch" the pieces together with steel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where window or door frames were needed, they were cast into the dome piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The piece was then cast with steel fiberous reinforced cement, which makes the meanest, toughest concrete in the world.

 

 

 

 

Screeding out the seven-sack concrete mix, filled with millions of 2-inch steel fibers was very very hard work.

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