The Internet Effect

This following is an article that appeared on the Internet, on geodesic domes, that I felt was worth repeating. More and more material is coming on line, relative to the dome phenomenon. The item comes under the heading of  “An Introduction to Geodesic Domes,” and very eloquently covers dome basics, as well as dome history.

I am surprised at the interest and information on domes that is available on this electronic medium. This interest points out the fact that many home buyers are interested in alternative living systems, but are unable to find them through normal informational channels.

On most calls, when asking the caller, who is responding to the Internet, why they have called, the response is usually that they have been looking for information on dome homes for some time and have been unable to locate anything.

The information included in this article is true, and is well known by dome manufacturers today. The safety, economy of construction, and the general good underlying feeling of dome living, are basic facts, proven by many years of cumulative design and building by the dome industry.

These important features are left unsaid by the powers that control and dumb down our thought. They are not discussed in the technical or architectural schools. Though dome architecture could have a major impact on our future, the future of our environment is apparently of no current interest to the system.

Consider the massive waste of natural resources in the housing and automotive industries. The use of the current dome systems could greatly reduce our waste of finite fuels. There are many people who are vitally interested in saving these natural resources, but there are not enough of them to make a difference. We are now watching the politicians argue about things that really mean more for them to get elected than doing the things that are necessary to insure the future of our planet.

Bucky Fuller, in one of his many predictions, said that the dome would become the housing of choice in about 50 years. It is now well past that time, and it looks to be no farther ahead than it did in the 1970’s. This, in spite of the fact that dome design and construction has advanced in all areas. Perhaps the electronic age will overcome the resistance and accomplish the seemingly impossible.

The article comes from a book titled The Dome Scrapbook, author unknown, and published in 1981 by Kendall-Hunt Publishing Co. The book is now out of print, and I have been unable to find a copy in this area.

An Introduction to Geodesic Domes

Throughout recorded history man experimented with designs and materials towards the goal of doing more with less. No man in recent history has done more to advance this goal than R. Buckminster Fuller, philosopher, mathematician, engineer, historian, poet and inventor of the geodesic dome. Although the world took little notice in 1951 when Mr. Fuller first applied for patents on geodesic domes, today geodesic domes are recognized as the most efficient building system known to man. Adapting the dome to the single family, wood frame dwelling unit has, until recently, been inhibited by a general lack of technical design information, standardized dome building components and experienced dome home builders. With the recent widespread manufacturing of standardized “dome kits” and the dome home builder/distributor networks that have been established nationwide, dome home construction is now a practical reality almost anywhere in the U.S. or Canada.

 Geodesic Domes

Geodesic domes require no load-bearing interior walls to support the roof. Interior variations for floor plans within the dome are almost limitless. Interior partitions can be framed directly into the dome shell or may be free standing non-structural space divisions. Sound and visual privacy, floor plan efficiency and human scale can all be maintained and, in most cases, enhanced in a dome home. Unique interior advantages of the dome include: greater freedom of floor plan design; cathedral ceilings without custom design; and unparalleled evenness of light, heat and sound distribution.

In addition to the dome’s vast interior variations, the dome shell also offers many exciting exterior possibilities. Because of the unique distribution stresses in the dome shell, up to 50 percent of the lowest ring of triangles can be removed (most prefabricated dome kits come with fifteen of the lower 30 triangles removed). These non-load-bearing openings can then be replaced by walls with conventional doors and windows or by extensions such as greenhouses, garages, carports, sun porches or other conventional structures.

Unique exterior advantages of the dome include: greater integration of the dome to many natural environments without custom design, greater structural strength and minimum violation of the ground and air space.

Geodesic Living

A dome is more than a collection of triangles. The underlying geometric symmetry, strength and spaciousness of the dome combine to create a feeling of wholeness that is not predicted by simple addition of the individual triangles.

Although innumerable descriptions of the advantages of “living in the round” have been written by dome home owners, the subjective, intangible advantages have, in most cases, been identified as the most important reasons for living in a dome. The one outstanding feature inherent in all home-sized dome shells is the good feelings you get as you open the door and walk inside.

Dome Energy Savings

A sphere represents the least amount of material surface area possible to enclose a given volume of space. When bisected, the half sphere becomes one of the most efficient shapes known to enclose a given floor area. Any “dent” made in the half sphere decreases the area enclosed while the total surface area stays the same.

If the half sphere is dented all the way to a rectangular  box-like shape, we find that approximately 20 – 30 percent of the potential interior space is lost. If the box is then dented into a three-sided pyramid, a tetrahedron, we find a full 66 percent of the interior space is lost. Most homes, being a combination of rectangular and triangular shapes, fall in the 40 – 60 percent range.

The number one factor affecting the efficient use of materials and energy in any structure is its shape. Many of today’s contemporary homes, with vaulted ceilings, are the least efficient homes technically possible. By contrast, a typical 1500-plus, square-foot geodesic dome home, with a 23-foot ceiling height in the living room, actually uses almost 20 percent less material than a typical 1500-plus, square-foot tract home with an eight-foot ceiling height.

The number one factor affecting heat loss or gain in any structure is its shape, not:

• Thickness of insulation
• Double glazing
• Types of doors
• Type of heat plant

The lower the total outside surface area (ceiling and walls) the greater the heating and cooling savings. Some comparisons are shown in Figure 1.

The percentage in difference, along with the dome’s perfect heat-flow shape, can add up to a 30-50 percent heating and/or cooling savings.

Because domes enclose more space with less material and have high curved ceilings in a substantial area of the floor plan, they display superior light and sound characteristics. Spherical shapes tend to amplify light while rectangular shapes tend to absorb light. (Substitute a square lampshade for a spherical shade and note the intensity difference.) In many cases it is actually brighter inside a dome without any interior lights turned on than it is outside. Acoustical advantages include more even sound distribution, lower volume requirement, and approximately 30 percent less outside noise infiltration, all due to the dome’s lower surface area and unique reflective characteristics.  

Orientation

Ideally, every home is placed on its property for maximum wind and rain protection, natural drainage, optimum sun exposure, and best use of existing land contours. In most cases, however, the relationship between the shape and size of the lot, dominant views, foundations, driveways, retainer walls, walkways, entries, main access roads and utility access, limit the maximum use of the natural environment. In addition, local zoning laws, easements and covenants may further restrict use of the lot.

The unique five-sided omni- directional character of the dome makes it especially versatile for lot placement. Because domes have five exterior long walls, the main floor will orient five, rather than the traditional four, directions. The upper portion of the dome shell, being near a true round, is equally oriented in all directions. The omni directional characteristics of the dome facilitate ideal placements for solar and view advantage. Any of the 60 triangular surfaces (on a three-frequency, 3/8 sphere) that make up the dome shell can be opened up with skylights for view or solar gain.

With no formal front, back or sides, the dome allows environmental stress such as earth movement (earthquakes) and wind (hurricanes) and snow loading to be evenly distributed throughout the structure. This increases the options for dome placements on rugged, steep terrain and on lots subject to severe weather conditions. Geodesic domes have been used successfully as radar towers in Antarctica under up to 200 mph winds for over 25 years.

Foundations

Vertical concrete or all-weather wood lower floors or basements can be used below the dome shell, to double the first floor area. Also, this vertical orientation of the dome adapts well to narrow or steep sloped lots. Thus, a relatively small single floor dome can be increased to enclose a large total number of square feet. Other possible types of foundations include perimeter walls, slab, grade beam and half basements.

Riser Walls

Dome riser walls are unique to domes and, when used, are an integral structural unit of the same shell. The use of riser walls is intended to raise the total height of the dome two to seven feet to achieve more usable area in the dome’s loft.

Lofts

The addition of a loft within the dome shell is an attractive and economical way to add more interior space without adding more roof area. Depending on the diameter of the dome and the height of the riser wall, the usable area in the lot will differ. A higher riser wall creates more loft area with six-foot head height and more. A good general rule of thumb for rough-estimating usable space in the loft is that for every extra foot of riser wall height added, an additional one-foot ring of usable area is added to the loft.

Extensions

Additional space can be added to the dome’s main floors and/or basement by extending outward from the long wall sections. Solariums, dining coves, rec-rooms, swimming pools, airlock entries and garages and carports have all been successfully extended from dome shells. Existing rooms can also be expanded and eaves added with standard two-foot and four-foot extensions.