2. WHAT IS A GEODESIC DOME?
The geodesic dome was invented in the 1950s by American engineer and architect Buckminster
Fuller.
A geodesic dome is a sphere-like structure composed of a complex network of triangles. The
triangles create a self-bracing framework that gives structural strength while using a minimum of
material.
It being a collection of triangles which, by staying in state of tension, together forms in the space
a hypothetical sphere.
The structure becomes more and more sphere like as the number of the diverse sizes of the struts
increases..
3. In the first look it seems that all the triangles are equilateral and all the struts have the identical length. Looking
better, we notice that actually the struts have lengths which are similar, but not identical
5. ADVANTAGES
• Sustainability: The life expectancy of the home.
• Energy Efficiency: Utilities; Convenience Vs.
Conservation.
• Eco-Friendly: Minimal carbon footprint.
• Stronger Structure: Integrity & Support are
synonymous.
• Cost Effective: More space and less surface area
equals
• Natural Structure Design: The Standard of the
Cosmos.
• Weather Resistant: Aerodynamics reduce
destruction.
• Aesthetically Pleasing: Invariably the most eye
catching.
• Highly Acoustic: Sound flows naturally in a sphere.
• Higher R-Value : Thermal Resistance is a high gain.
6. DISADVANTAGES
• Unusable Space
• Doors and Windows: either make or special order has to be given.
• Permits: Building the home may also be a challenge as drainage and fire escapes that meet code are made
more difficult by the design of the home.
• Financing and Resale
7. USES OF GEODESIC DOME
• Green Housess
• Residential Homes
• Warehouses
• Water Reservoirs
• Entertainment Spots
8. ENERGY EFFICIENCY
• A dome home uses roughly 50% to 75% less materials to construct than a normal home the same volume
– taking into account various internal walls and such to adequately brace a non-dome structure.
• The primary factor affecting efficient use of materials and energy in a structure is its shape. A sphere
represents the smallest amount of material surface area needed to enclose a given volume of space.
Internally a dome has a much more open feeling than a box shape building because of the lack of corners,
this also gives a dome better air circulation.
• A dome, having a smaller perimeter/square footage ratio than a box-style home, will lose less heat from
the foundation. A dome has approximately one-third less surface area to the outside than a box-style
structure. The amount surface area exposed to the elements has a much greater impact on energy
efficiency than insulation values.
9. STRUCTURE
• Domes use less material, are lighter and stronger than any other type of building bar none.
They are much stronger than any conventional buildings.
• Domes can be built very quickly and economically.
• Structure share the stress evenly as opposed to the right angles of typical box structures.
• Geodesic domes are the only man-made structure that gets proportionally stronger as it
increases in size.
10. ECO FRIENDLY
• Extremely “Green” in terms of cost, building materials, and future maintenance.
• The sphere has the greatest volume given a certain surface area, it stands to reason that it also is
the most economic to construct in terms of size and available budget.
• In addition, domes are easier to retrofit for energy engineering such as: radiant heat, solar
energy, water collection systems, compost toilets, and many other alternative utilities.
11. WATER RESISTANT
• Domes are naturally hurricane resistant. Tract style buildings generate huge amounts of
turbulence when high winds pass over them, causing massive low-pressure which pulls the roof
off. High winds can pass smoothly over a dome because it has no corners and flat surfaces to
cause turbulence high pressure air presses the dome down towards the ground.
• High-performance green materials designed to withstand considerable wind loads from severe
storms like tornados, hurricanes and typhoons.
• Due to their high structural integrity, they perform extremely well in such natural disasters as
earthquakes, floods and severe wind storms.
12. MONTREAL BIOSPHERE
➢ The American exhibit at Expo 67 in
Montreal.
➢ Constructed in 1947 for world expo.
➢ Largest geodesic dome in the world.
➢ Located in Canada, the only museum
dedicated to water.
Example_1
13. EPCOT CENTRE’S SPACESHIP EARTH CENTRE.
➢ Constructed based on Fuller’s plan for a
temperature controlled dome.
➢ It is a theme park + greenhouse containing over
1500 species of plants.
➢ Located in Florida.
Example_2
14. THE EDEN PROJECT
➢ The largest greenhouse in the
world.
➢ Completed in 2001.
➢ Located in United Kingdom.
Example_3
15. TELUS WORLD OF SCIENCE
➢ Science displays and
exhibition center
➢ Located in Edmonton,
Canada
Example_4
17. WHAT IS A RIBBED DOME?
They consist of a number of identical radial solid or trussed (latticed) interconnected at the crown
and supported in an adequate way at the foundation.
18. This type of roof is not economical because it does not incorporate the advantages of structural
interaction of latitudinal intermediate rings. Depending on the base diameter of the dome, there
may be 8 to 72 intersecting braced ribs. They are usually of constant depth.
WHAT IS A BRACED RIB DOME?
20. WHAT IS A SOLID RIB DOME?
They are similar to braced arch domes in spatial arrangement, except that
a) the meridional ribs are composed of shallower solid web sections, rolled, built up, boxed or
even diamond box shaped,
b) the meridional space system is additionally integrated by intermediate rings between upper
compression ring and the lower peripheral ring, and
c) all the ribs generally teminate at the upper compression ringinstead of some being carried
through.
