geodesic dome

geodesic dome

Dome architecture is at its peak, with new initiatives adding value to a truly exciting world. Some are working on the latest technology, others are working on making it possible for us to build a geodesic dome in the garden of our house in a few hours and in a very simple way. Whatever it is, this sustainable architecture is revolutionizing the market.

Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you everything you need to know about the geodesic dome, its characteristics and how to make one.

History of the geodesic dome

history of the geodesic dome

Although not yet named, the geodesic dome was first introduced after World War I by Walther Bauersfeld, an engineer with the Carl Zeiss optics company. The first dome was used as a planetarium.

Some twenty years later, Buckminster Fuller and an artist named Kenneth Snelson were working on construction projects at Black Mountain College, and Fuller invented the term "geodesy" to describe the developing structure. In 1954, Fuller and his students built a geodesic dome in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, which still stands, for which they received a patent for the geodesic dome. That same year, he participated in the 1954 Italian Triennale Architecture Exhibition, building a 42-foot cardboard geodesic structure in Milan. He was awarded first prize for his achievement.

Soon after, Fuller's domes were chosen for military and industrial needs ranging from factories to weather observation stations. Wind and weather resistant, geodesic domes are also easily delivered in batches and quickly assembled.

By the late 1950s banks and universities were also commissioning geodesic domes. One of the domes was later displayed at the 1964 World's Fair and the 1967 World's Fair. Later geodesic and other geometric domes were built for Antarctica, where the geodesic dome found is the famous entrance to Disney's EPCOT Center.

Buckminster Fuller envisioned geodesic houses as low-cost, easy-to-build houses that would address the housing shortage. He envisioned Dymaxion House as a prefab kit with features such as revolving plots and wind-driven air conditioning, but never realized it. The real success was the most basic geodesic house that he built for himself in Carbondale, Illinois, where he lived for many years.

In the 1970s, geodesic domes were built for backyard fun, and home versions of geodesic houses grew in popularity. But in the late XNUMXth and early XNUMXst centuries, the fascination with geodesic structures waned. One can recognize its practical shortcomings.

While Fuller's dream of a prefab, helicopter-delivered geodesic home never came to fruition, architects and design-build firms have created unique types of vaulted homes based on his ideas. Today, geodesic igloos can be found all over the world, be it full houses, glamping sites or eco-friendly homes.

Key features

geodesic dome

The shape and structure of the geodesic igloo house allows it to withstand strong winds. They are built with a variety of materials, from Aircrete, a unique combination of cement and fast-drying foam, to adobe. Most are supported on wood or steel and finished in architectural polyester, aluminum, fiberglass, or Plexiglas.

Spheres are very effective because they close off a large amount of interior space relative to the surface area, saving money and materials during construction. Because geodesic domes are spherical, the buildings have other advantages:

With no walls or other obstructions, air and energy can circulate freely, making heating and cooling more efficient. The shape also reduces heat loss by radiation. The smaller the surface, the less exposure to heat or cold. Strong winds blow across the curved exterior, reducing the chance of wind damage.

Advantages of the geodesic dome

ecohousing

In the following lines, we will analyze one by one the main factors that determine the success of the geodesic dome. More construction material is saved to enclose the service life or the work area than any structure with other forms.

Temperature control

Since their discovery, geodesic domes have been one of the safest refuges in the most extreme and harsh climates on Earth, due to less exposure to cold in winter and heat in summer.

Temperature transfer is a direct factor between exposed surfaces or exterior wall areas. The dome is spherical and covers less area per unit internal volume, so there is less temperature gain or loss.

The internal shape creates a flow of hot or cold air that can be used to control, stabilize and balance the internal temperature, eliminating potential cold spots. Thanks to this shape, it acts as a large reflector towards the bottom, reflecting and concentrating the heat inside, which also prevents radial heat loss. The dome thus becomes the optimal structure for polar climates, serving as an observatory, laboratory or protecting radar antennas.

a safe building

Due to its shape, a geodesic dome is a stable structure because when pressure is applied to it, it is distributed (to some degree) throughout the entire structure. Composed of triangles, it can be said that it has a unique stability because triangles are the only non-deformable polygons in nature. This gives the dome a unique stability. The triangles are interconnected in such a way that their sides form a geodesic network of "great circles" (also known as routes), which gives coherence and solidity to the whole.

The dome, through its lower ring and lower center of gravity, distributes your weight evenly on the support plane, which gives it an advantage over other structures in dealing with earthquakes.

When strong winds from tornadoes, hurricanes, and storms strike the eaves and cornices of traditional homes, they create negative pressure that can penetrate below, destroying all or part of the roof and exposing the occupants. However, the geodesic dome's aerodynamic shape and non-suction elements provide the best wind protection, regardless of orientation.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about the geodesic dome and its characteristics.


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