CONSTRUCTION OF THE MUSHROOM HOUSE

Four 80 ton pods and one balcony resting on variable-length concrete and steel stems that rise from the ravine comprise the house. Builders Peter Strong and William Ashton made molds in the ground, on the site, which they used to form the stems and the pods. The stems vary in height from 14’ to 20’, taper from 5 feet at ground level to 3’ at the top, and are designed to support a pod 34’ in diameter. The pods were constructed in two parts, a bottom and a top. The pod bases were formed in 30’ “pie pan” molds of concrete and polyurethane. Lifted into place, they were reinforced with concrete and steel rods, and a rim of the same material was added for stability. Steel and concrete floors connected the segments. The tops were molded over a hill of sand, reinforced and insulated, and successfully moved into place. This was a major building accomplishment. To reconstruct the buildings today, it is roughly estimated at over $4,500,000!