Create Geodesic Dome With BBQ Sticks

Four days ago I posted this article up depicting how you can create your very own geodesic dome - using barbecue sticks! Chicken barbecue sticks, that is. The ones that are up to 30cm long.

It actually took me around a month and a half to finish since I had to keep postponing construction, though in theory I could've taken only a week, had I not been doing anything else. It was very tedious repeating the same task which was just to measure, cut and glue together all 250 sticks into 30 nets. And because I'm living in a tropical area, I had the air conditioner running while I was using the glue gun so the glue would dry faster. It was even more challenging when I had to put the whole thing together with string, and had to be in all sorts of positions (mostly sitting on the floor). At one point I had to redo tying up one net because it was incorrectly placed.

One of the drawbacks of this dome is that the joints where it is tied with string, can easily dislocate even when tightly wound, but this proves to be advantageous in terms of its level of flexibility, allowing it to be crumpled and passed through the door, then spring back to its original form.

I was thinking of using clay for the joints, and also using an underneath dome layer (space frame) for additional structural support, but I thought it would be even more complicated, and that's something I'd have to test for next time. Another one of my future attempts would be to make it out of bamboo sticks, though I'd need to work outside and have a free large open ground to use. Hmm, wonder if I could get hold of memory metal. That would be interesting.

For about a week the dome was basically taking over 2/3 of my entire room, with me just sleeping in the corner next to the door exit, so I thought enough's enough and decided to crumple it up and stand it upright in a corner. Now it looks like a giant geodesic cocoon sculpture awaiting to collect dust.

I think this can be an interesting structure for  a new building

Well at least I've figured out how to make these things (and now you can too) =)

Create Geodesic Spheres On SketchUp

Back in August 2010, I created this little instruction "article" on Instructables.com on how to go about creating a geodesic sphere using Google's free 3D CAD software, Google SketchUp, since I haven't seen an instructable on this yet on the website. I also made another instructable similar to that but this time it's to do with monolithic domes.

Here are some intro pics:

Enjoy!

Free Geodesic Dome Design Software

Even though I posted the file of the software in the introduction, I thought I'd post some more detail of it so it has a more deserving and recognizable presence. I'm trying to find a better software but as of yet, this is the only free software that works well enough for me. The only drawback is that it can take a while to calculate, and sometimes it can freeze up. If anyone knows a better software let me know about it!

The main website of this software is this btw: http://www.popdome.com/Pages/default.aspx

Finally, I decided to do a test run on a class I icosahedron with a frequency of 20. What's cool is that it even lists all the dimensions needed to construct the dome for real. Not only that but it has class II versions (I didn't know the difference between class I and class II until I tried them out and compared them).

***Update 2012: By the looks of it, the software is no longer free unfortunately :( not to worry, will have to try to find something else!

Houston Dome

If you've ever watched MegaStructures on Nat Geo, you might have also come across Extreme Engineering and or Mega Engineering on the Discovery Channel. Some of my favorites include Tokyo's Sky City, the Transatlantic Tunnel, City in a Pyramid, and the City at Sea. But at the top of it all comes the Houston Dome - an insanely large geodesic dome with panels made of ETFE (Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) just like with the Eden Project, but this time to cover an entire city.

What I admire about it is how some of my own city designs utilize this concept even before I knew about the Houston Dome, so it was good to see that there are urban/social designers and architects thinking on similar lines. Not only are such domes earthquake proof, but hurricane proof. The ETFE is also great at resisting high temperatures and can be easily repaired, and compared to glass, it is 99% lighter.

Here's some basic illustrated details of the dome:

You can watch videos of the Houston Dome directly from the Discovery Channel website here (there's 4 parts, 2-3 minutes each; I was trying to find a way of downloading the videos but with little success).

There's also an 8 minute version on YouTube but still not the complete episode. Nevertheless it is still pretty awesome.

Here are a few snapshots taken from the videos:

 

Close up of construction

Underneath the dome during construction, fitting the ETFE panels

Dome completed, illustrated in poor weather

 

Here the fitting of the ETFE panels can be witnessed from the outside

Ariel view of construction

Depiction of panel failure during harsh weather

ETFE is so strong it can even be stood on without breaking

Illustrating the tripple ETFE layer for extra protective effect

Depicting the space structure for additional strength to the frame

Close up of space frame joints

ETFE panels against the elements

From outside the dome is visible but from inside it would be hard to see

Dome construction from outside

Temperature control is automatic - with +15% energy savings

I might have little doubt that the Houston Dome was inspired by this,

that is, Buckminster Fuller's own proposal to cover Manhattan with a dome

One day we'd probably cover entire continents with such domes, but that's
extremely unlikely

The Lazarus Project

Back in August 2010, I came across the Lazarus Project through my Facebook page. I was inspired by it as it was started by one guy called Christopher Munroe, who designed a sheltered community for disaster relief purposes using geodesic domes. I think it was started in July 2010 but as of now I haven't seen any developments on the project's main website.

However there is information on the project's Facebook page which includes pictures and videos. In it, it states, "Our intention is to build communities of approximately 500 domes per community and approximately 5 or more communities" and "to assist each victim in rebuilding their lives and putting them in a better spiritual, physical, financial and educational state then they were 5 years earler."

The Lazarus project program will involve:

• Literacy classes
• Preschool classes - College classes and/or courses
• Business training
• Skilled trade workshops
• Fitness and well being courses
• Meditation and anger management classes
• Counseling and therapy
• Sports programs
• Performing arts programs
• Music programs
• Farming courses
• Employment from outsourced work and community business. TLP retaining 60% of each workers earnings, putting this in a interest bearing or escrow account for the five year term. Employees will have a five year savings to move forward and purchase a home, business or move on to better their lives where they please.
• and much more

Then again, even if this project never gets implemented as planned, it still demonstrates how well-intended and forward-thinking the aim of the project is, which would serve as a fine example for future projects that would follow in similar pursuit.

Here are a selection of the 3D renderings of the designs:

Kudos to Mr. Munroe! =D

Expanding Geodesic Dome

A few months ago I discovered about Chuck Hoberman's Expanding Geodesic Dome on YouTube. Knowing the vast potential of these structures for practical application in the real world, this method of erecting the dome would be much faster. One of my own ideas would be to make it out of memory metals which could be flattened out or crumpled into a small ball, then to bring it back to its full form, just apply an electric current to it.

They should make an umbrella hat version of this :-P

Introduction

I was originally acquainted with geodesic structures back in college of 2004 when I found out about Buckminster Fuller's fullerene "buckyball" - a molecule made of carbon atoms which can form into a sphere. Actually it was probably much earlier than that, as I knew footballs were made like that, though I wasn't really interested in them at the time. What intrigued me was how straight lines of the same length could form into a spherical structure of such complex geometry, consisting of triangles, hexagons, and pentagons. I wanted to find out how to go about constructing such a structure myself since, each time I was staring at say, a geodesic dome, it confused the hell out of me. Unfortunately, it was much more complicated than just constructing it out of lines. I eventually found out that there are many types of geodesic structures, and not all of the lines were of equal length, but all of which were guided by an underlying mathematical order, which I had to study more on.

• After, doing a few searches, I came across excellent geodesic calculators from http://www.desertdomes.com/ and http://simplydifferently.org/.

• I also found a free geodesic dome design software that you can download here: http://www.filetransit.com/view.php?id=114819

• Another great place for geodesic information can be found at http://groups.google.com/group/geodesichelp when I was trying to find info on how to make geodesic domes on Google SketchUp.

• There's also a very helpful PDF file on geodesic mathematics that someone suggested I take a look at: http://www.geometer.org/mathcircles/geodesic.pdf

• Here's a PDF informational paper about geodesic domes by Giulio Neri, which illustrates a wide range of dome designs: http://www.giulioneri.com/Domes/Paper%20on%20Domes%201and2.pdf

• Additionally, a comprehensive guide to geodesic geometry including Fuller's methods.

• Finally, more information can be found by joining this Facebook page and website, GeodesicDome.info

Hope this helps!