DOME MAGAZINE: Spring 1992, Vol. 4 | No. 3
Sometimes, it seems as though I am dreaming, when I read some of the comments that have appeared in previous articles in DOMES magazine. At a time when accurate information relating to domes and dome mechanics is hard to come by, it is disturbing to me when inaccurate information is published.
Correct Information
I would take issue with some of the statements made by Mr. Phillip Allen in the summer issue of DOME magazine. It is apparent, that if Mr. Allen had ever lived in a cold climate, or even better, lived in a dome structure anywhere, he would not have made certain statements, to wit.
He quotes Bucky Fuller on the fine features of the dome environment, because the openness of the dome provides a free flow of air so that the occupants are comfortable.
He would do well to check his physics, as a dome without some control over its environment can be a very uncomfortable place in which to live.
The “free flow” of air concept is a misnomer in the heating mode, as well as it is in the cooling mode. More about the mechanics of cooling later.
I would not be so brash as to question Mr. Fuller’s credentials, relative to dome philosophy, as he is considered the father of contemporary dome thought, but I will most certainly question the wisdom of his remark regarding the “free flow” of air inside the dome.
I do not know if Mr. Fuller said it or not, but in the heating mode, the air does not “move up the sidewalls, and down the center.” The exact opposite occurs, as we will explain later.
Sixteen years of dome design, manufacturing, and marketing have revealed that if the dome is left to the “free flow” concept, you will be living in a very uncomfortable building.
Basic Laws of Physics
What happened to some of the basic laws of physics? Warmed air rises, by way of convection currents. This means that in the heating mode, the heated air rises to the dome top. As most people are conscious of getting as much usable space under one roof as possible, geodesic dome designers and manufacturers generally provide loft space on the second floor, quite often for sleeping quarters. The concept of multiple dome combinations has some beneficial features, in terms of separating various activities of the family, but a study of the economics of the system reveals that you can build one dome, with a loft and 2,000 square feet of living space, for substantially less than you can construct two connected domes of 1,000 square feet each.
Imagine, if you will, the outside temperature at -200 F, and your heating unit spitting out BTU’s like crazy. The furnace control is usually on an interior wall, and located on the first floor, where you do most of your living. The heat also