It’s a Monolithic Dome with an oblate ellipse shape that has a diameter of just 16.5 feet, a height of 9 feet and a living area of 210 square feet.

The design of the Io-16.5 was based on an earlier unit. It was great, but we failed to realize its full potential. When we started our program of building and renting small domes, we lined up the Io-16.5 units we had and started building the Io-20s. While the Io-20s proved satisfactory, we realized that we needed a smaller, less expensive unit. Hence we started building the Four-plexes.

Then we had a fire in an Io-20, confined only to that unit and causing little damage. That fire made the advantages of single units over a Four-plex very apparent. One careless smoker in a Four-plex could endanger all four units. Single units offered other advantages, as well: Bugs can travel between units, as can sound.

We then analyzed our costs. The cost of four individual Io-16.5s is very close to that of a Four-plex. But occupants of separate units have a much better feel of privacy. It is their cabin, their sounds, their private little world, and the impact of the neighbors is negligible.

We also considered land usage. The Four-plex takes less space. But each unit requires two car spaces, one for the renter and one for a visitor, a second vehicle, a boat or a trailer. So the parking actually takes more space than the units. Where land is expensive, an apartment house is probably a better alternative. We are designing three-floor walk-ups and ten-story elevator apartment houses. There will be a place for these. But there is also a huge demand for Io-16.5.

Our next round of rental units will include clusters of Io-20s and Io-16.5s.