Geodesic Dome
The concept of the geodesic dome
originated with
Buckminster Fuller.
He patented his design in 1954.
1. A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell
structure based on a network of great circles (geodesics) lying
on the surface of a sphere.
2. Buckminster Fuller was the scientist who developed the intrinsic
mathematics of the dome, thereby allowing popularization of
the idea — for which he received a U.S. patent.
3. A triangle is the only polygon (many-sided) that holds its shape
with force acted upon it.
4. Geodesic domes are an extremely efficient form of architecture
The dome is energy efficient for many reasons:
1. Its decreased surface area requires less building materials.
2. Exposure to cold in the winter and heat in the summer is decreased because,
being spherical, there is the least surface area per unity of volume per
structure.
3. The concave interior creates a natural airflow that allows the hot or cool air to
flow evenly throughout the dome with the help of return air ducts.
4. Extreme wind turbulence is lessened because the winds that contribute to heat
loss flow smoothly around the dome.
5. It acts like a type of giant down-pointing headlight reflector and reflects and
concentrates interior heat. This helps prevent radiant heat loss.
Geodesic Domes
Geodesic means Earth-dividing in Latin
Material efficient: uses about 30% fewer physical components than rectangular buildings.
We like triangles, too, but we don't think they meant for domes to have interior waterfalls. Lots of
seams make for difficult waterproofing, as many dome owners have learned ... the hard way.
You'll find children hanging upside down from them at playgrounds. The domes are commonly used
as those half-sphere jungle gyms found in parks everywhere.
Major Annoyance of Dome Homes: You can almost hear your children think (and that's not
necessarily a good thing). Domes transmit sound everywhere, meaning there's very little privacy.
To increase living space: add lofts. Lofts let you build higher toward the ceiling while consuming a
minimum of floor space with supports.
Domes are very strong and stable yet use a fraction of the building materials that other structures
require.
Inventor of Geodesic Dome - It created a huge sensation throughout his home country, Germany.
Walter Bauersfeld built the first dome in Jena. To infinity and beyond! Bauersfeld's dome ceiling was
perfect for projecting maps of stars and planets.
Geodesic domes owe their strength to the structural principle: Buckminster Fuller just made up
that word -- tensegrity. He combined the words "tensional" and "integrity" to describe this principle,
which can be used to make super-strong buildings.
Inspiration for Buckminster Fuller came from the world about him. Look at this snowflake, man! It's
just, like, so cool! Natural shapes inspired Fuller to create efficient geodesic designs, which
subsequently inspired many hippies.
Super-strong construction and a low center of gravity make these buildings nearly indestructible
compared to traditional homes.
Triangle is the basic polygon making up the geodesic dome. It's the strongest shape out there.
Triangles distribute weight and stress better than any other polygon.
1. The icosahedron's potential for creating new dome designs is infinite. It is a
geometric shape made of triangles and is most frequently used to design
geodesic domes. It is a 20-sided polyhedron.
2. Eaves and soffits are great for shedding water, but the wind grabs them and
won't let go. Domes don't have any overhangs ~ one reason domes are nearly
impervious to strong winds
Build a Geodesic Dome
Need 65 tubes of newspaper or balsa sticks
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
35 "long" and 30 "short”
Cut off both ends to get correct length
Long = 71 cm
Short = 66 cm
Tape 10 longs together to make the base of the
dome
7. Tape a long and a short to each joint. Arrange them so that
there are two longs next to each other, followed by two
shorts, and so on.
8. Tape the tops of the triangles all the way around with
a row of shorts. (The dome will start curving inward.)
10.At each joint where four shorts come together, tape another
short sticking straight up. Connect this short to the joints on
either side with longs, forming new triangles.
11.Connect the tops of these new triangles with a row of
longs.
12.Add the last five shorts so that they meet at a single point in
the center of the dome. (You might need to stand inside the
dome to tape them together.)
You may like to test the strength of your dome.
Geodesic sphere and its dual.
Chord - straight line segment joining two points on a curve
"chord" of the "geodesic sphere" corresponds
to the structural "strut" of the physical "geodesic dome"
Geodesic Dome
is a
triangulation of a Platonic Solid
Platonic
Buckminster Fuller Dome In Carbondale, Illinois
Fuller hoped that the geodesic dome
would help address the post World War
II housing crisis.
*Did not catch on because of
complexity and consequent
greater construction costs.
Spaceship Earth
In
Nature
Montreal BioSphere
Geodesic spheres and domes come in
various frequencies.
The frequency of a dome relates to the
number of smaller triangles into which it is
subdivided.
A high frequency dome has more triangular
components and is more smoothly curved
and sphere-like
Hoberman - expansion
Frequencies
Tiling the Sphere