A Little History

While simple domeshave been part of architecture for thousands of years, the first geodesic-style dome was reportedly built by Walter Bauersfeld for a planetarium in Jena, Germany (see the account on page 118 in Jay Baldwin's marvelous new book, " BuckyWorks"). However, the late designer R. Buckminster Fuller (the world knew him as "Bucky") was responsible for both popularizing geodesic domes and for starting the process of developing domes into the flexible structures that we know today.

At the 1996 Earth Fair in San Diego. This little girl was writing a report on Buckminster Fuller for school and was able to build her own dome!

Why Domes?

Well, let's be honest, Walt likes domes partly because he just thinks they look cool. But there are many good reasons (besides that!) for considering a dome for your next structure:

• Efficient use of materials -- a sphere (or a section of it, like a dome) is the shape that encloses the most volume using the smallest amount of materials
• While any dome makes efficient use of materials, geodesic domes combine this with the strength and rigidity of the triangle to create a structure of exceptional strength per unit weight
• Having the smallest possible surface area means domes are more efficient to heat and cool, if comparable insulation techniques are used

You can find more about domes at the Synergetics Home Page section on geodesic dome geometry.

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