Pyramids Not Just in Egypt Anymore

Because of his experience in steel framing, Beal caught the attention of a homeowner who dreamed of building a 6,500-square-foot residential pyramid 60 feet high on some 300 acres of farmland in Justin, Texas. After plenty of discussion between Beal and the homeowner, ideas turned into drawings, and computer images were produced.

One might think that the construction itself, which is under way and expected to take more than a year, would present the biggest challenge on this project. Not so, Beal says.

"I understood the method of construction. That was easy," he says. "This project, as opposed to most residential projects, involved more engineering. The glass was engineered. There were mechanical engineers, structural engineers. Coordinating that was more challenging than other residential projects."

Beal likens the first floor to an upside-down egg carton. Six 28x28-foot concentric domes rise 7 feet and then flatten. Each dome forms a room. Space was reserved in the center for an elevator; other spaces were blocked out for electrical and HVAC equipment, and then dirt filled the spaces between the domes. A 72x72-foot concrete slab was poured on top, and that forms the second floor. That floor lacks a true ceiling. Instead, 34 feet of open space separate it from the structure's peak.

A 5-foot-wide glass catwalk is suspended around the top perimeter from the four I-beams that compose the pyramid's shape. A stainless steel spiral staircase and the elevator provide catwalk access.

The home's shape restricts the floor plan, but it still contains rooms normally seen in a custom home: formal living and dining rooms and a media room. The home also has two kitchens, one downstairs and a smaller kitchen upstairs for entertaining.

The home's mechanicals are especially unusual. For example, to accommodate the openness of the space and the need to suspend any piping or wiring and blend it with the walls, the home has a geothermal heating and cooling system. The pyramid's peak contains dampers, which will be closed in winter, and a return system that will pull rising hot air into the heating system for circulation throughout the home.

In summer, the dampers will be opened to admit fresh air, which will run through a tube along an inside wall and 200 feet into the ground, where it will cool naturally before it's returned to the home.

Beal attributes Texans' affinity for unusually shaped homes to their independent spirit but says his pyramid's appeal has crossed the state line. An Oklahoma man wants Beal to create a similar home on his 2,000-acre ranch.