ARCHITECTURE: Why Domes?

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Subj: RE: Why domes??

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From: Alan Semon <asemon@xxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: Why domes??
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Stephen Velazquez (velasteve@xxxxxxx) wrote:
: I'm new to this list and Bucky's works and I was wondering what exactly are
: the advantages of living in a dome?

: Steve


I cannot speak on those claims mentioned, nor do I have any references readily
available concerning dome life, but I was once interested in the idea of living
in a geodesic dome home and, to the best of my recollection, these are some of
the advantages:

1. Heating and cooling the home become more efficient due to the fact that
there are fewer (even no) corners where heat may be trapped. The overall
air flow in a dome is substantially better than in a conventionally
constructed home (straight walls and such).

2. Many dome home designs allow the option of using larger lumber for the dome.
2x6's or 2x8's instead of the usual 2x4's, although this is an option in
ANY home, it seems to be more commonly done in dome home construction.

3. For those solar minded people, the placement of the solar collectors on the
"roof" is less critical due to the curved nature of the top of the
structure.

4. The inherent strength of the dome makes it suitable for either earth-bermed
or even earth covered construction techniques. In the case of more common
construction techniques, the structural members' dimensions usually need to
be completely reworked in order to carry the extra weight.

5. Hell, they _LOOK_ pretty neat! This might be a problem in certain areas
which one of those laws which say that all homes in an area _MUST_ conform
to certain guidelines concerning their architecture (bummer, huh? :-)).

Well, that about does it on my knowledge (of sorts) of dome home living.
A good company to contact is Monterey Dome Inc. (can't remember WHERE they are
located). They sell kits for constructing a dome structure. Their information
packet is the source of some, though by no means ALL, of the information here.

Good luck!!
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