CONIC SHELTER - strength through curvature
Weather Tight - Permanent - Cost Effective - No Internal Supports or Rafters - Quick Assembly - Unlimited Variations
email: sales@conicshelter.com                                                                                                                         Phone: (707) 884-1769


Introducing the Rufuge Conic Shelter Series.

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Listen to interview with inventor Chuck Henderson on KGUA (3/13/12). This 20 minute radio spot is a good overview of the Conic philosophy and its 38 year history. Click on the player below:
NoraATop_01
In-Place construction technique. 4'x4' Panels overlap 3" to form a continuous super-large sheet of plywood. Curves form automatically (no pre-bending). Even though this structure is incomplete the Conic geometry has already become strong enough to support a crew member. When completed the ridge is the strongest part of the structure.

curve
850 Square Foot freestanding workshop assembled in 8 days with 3 man crew.. Composed entirely of 4x4 ft. 1/2 in. plywood panels.

Welcome to Conic Shelters

Conic Shelters (called "Conics" for short) are a thin-shell architectural form built from square plywood components. Conics are cost effective and highly versatile shelter (no rafters, fast assembly) that can be used for open-air shelter or closed-in residential, shop, or office construction. Multiple insulation options are available. For more information please enjoy this website, contact sales@conicshelter.com, or call Conic Shelter at 707 884 1769.

skin_01
Conic exteriors are typically covered with weather-tight Ames Research elastomeric coatings, Conic Shelters can last up to ten years and then require a single additional layer of elastomeric for another 10 years of service. Available in any color, environmentally friendly, applied by brush or airless spray-on, these coatings are tough and beautiful.

Mari_01
Conic Shelters can be constructed in thousands of configurations. This computer model is a very low-profile configuration made entirely of 3/4" plywood with no rafters or other internal supports. Doors and windows can be added in almost any location without sacraficing structural integrity as shown below.
Mari_01
As Built. This 500 sq. ft. residence is built with no rafters or stud walls. The curve shape of the Conic provides all the structure. This Conic is built on grade with a surrounding french drain system. There is no step up or down to enter the structure - a great feature for older folks!

Ridge Conic
 Ridge Conic (Above Anchor Bay... California) Slide Show. This was the first Conic Shelter built using a "fabrication-during-assembly" technique. Panels were attached together while the entire structure was being hoisted by a crane (gin-pole technique). This allowed workers to assemble the panels at, or near, ground level, speeding assembly and making the workplace safer. Click here to View.
What are Conic Shelters? And how can they be used to provide permanent, low-cost shelter for homes, offices, outbuildings, meeting spaces, and other uses?? Click Here to find out more.
How To Get Involved With Conic Shelters. Are you ready to experiment with this new form of shelter? There are many ways to participate in the exploration of the "multi-conic" structural geometry. Click Here to find out more.
advancedDiscussion_01
 Advanced Discussion 01. The multi-conic skin should theoritically be able to support itself without the need for internal tripod structures that extend all the way from the ground to the apex. Computer models reveal what a modified tripod ("generator") structure would look like. Click here for more. (Added 9/21/07). Click Here to find out more.
How Does Nature Use Conics? The oldest geometric forms on the surface of the earth are ancient mountain ranges. Examining the geometry of these ancient forms shaped by wind, rain, snow, sun, heat and cold reveals forms that in many cases duplicate the multi-conic geometry.
coneAndCheops
 Is there a connection between the geometry and reported effects of the Great Cheops Pyramid of Egypt and multi-Conic geometry? The angular geometry is very similar. Click Here to find out more.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CONIC SHELTERS....
September 10-17, 2008 Conic Workshop Scheduled in Anchor Bay
May 2006. Conics Featured In Times Journal of Construction and Design.
Click Here
November 2005. 400 sq. ft. Prairie Pod Conic Errected In Willits, California.
December 2005. Fishrock Studios Invited to Propose Meeting Facility at Kalani Resort, Hawaii.
June 2005. Experimental 7 phase multi-conic trial at Thin Shell Conferece in Lorane Oregon.
2004. 1000 sq. ft. Conic first erected in 2002 is redeployed in Pt. Arena, California.
2002. Burning Man Conic Goes Up On Black Rock Desert. First Unsupported Horn Raised. Multi-Conic Geometry Passes Another Test. Click Here For More.
2002. Complex multi-conic proposed for Burning Man Celebration.
1988. Second Patent Granted.
1985. First true multi-conic built in Cloverdale, California.
Inventor C.E. Henderson meets with creative genius R. Buckminister Fuller in 1982. Fuller compared Conic Shelters to his geodesic dome saying their efficiencies were roughly comparable.
1975: One of the first - a 500 sq. ft. conic with sapling generators.
1974. First Conic Dwelling Built.... Still up in 2011, this is one of the original "umbraCones."

info@conicshelter.com
all material presented here are copyright (c) 1997- 2007 by C.E. Henderson
- all rights reserved
Conics and Conics Shelter System are trademarks of C.E. Henderson
U.S. Patents 3,990,208 and 4,794,742