American Ingenuity photos
Above, a raised geodesic home in a wooded setting is
surrounded by decks.
Left, the dome’s open concept allows for creative placement
of furniture in a bright and airy-feeling living room.
actually composed entirely of flat surfaces. The dome’s
nearly spherical shape enables it to enclose more space
with less surface area than a rectangular structure.
Strength comes from the egg-like shape, further reducing material costs and structural support.
These advantages translate into:
• Rapid construction without heavy equipment.
• Light-weight materials that can be erected by inexperienced two- to six-member crews in two days or less.
• Low construction costs.
In fact, construction is so light, quick and easy that
half of all sales are made to owners who do their own
erection.
SIMPLE AND SENSIBLE
Dozens of manufacturers supply pre-engineered kits
that builders can erect on a prepared foundation. Off-the-shelf designs are available for a variety of sizes, configurations and building types.
A church, for example, might have two domes — one
for the sanctuary and the other for a fellowship hall —
joined by a narthex. The dome gives an exalted feeling
to the sanctuary and plenty of ceiling height for basketball or badminton in the fellowship hall. Or a custom design can be created by the manufacturers, usually at no
increase in cost.
Because of the inherent strength of the shape, dome
buildings are well-suited for difficult locations, especially those subject to extreme winds such as tornadoes
and hurricanes or earthquakes.
Advocates of green building appreciate the dome’s
design. Heating and cooling the dome is more efficient
because air circulates naturally with few (or no) sharp
corners to trap heat. Domes are especially well-adapted
to solar panels. One surprise for owners might be the excellent acoustics of dome buildings, especially churches,
