Has there ever been any wind tunnel or flying debris tests done in a side by side comparison before? Are geodesic domes really THAT stronger than traditional houses?
I performed a number of tests on geodesic domes way back when. Wind tunnel and flying debris weren’t among the tests, but various strength tests were. The test conditions compared dome and conventional construction based on the use of the same materials and construction techniques. Domes were far stronger. One factor that applies to all comparisons of this type is that domes have less surface area to enclose the same space. So in wind conditions they would have a smaller profile, and would be less likely to be hit by flying debris, and have less area exposed to high winds.
The strength of cubes* vs. domes is well established, geodesic or otherwise. But domes have some big disadvantages also. The construction is more complicated because of the lack of right angle joints and corners, and typically 5 or 6 pieces at a junction. The interior space is more difficult to divide, and it is difficult to seal windows and doors that are placed at an angle, usually requiring projections to provide a vertical surface. Usually the entire exposed area of a dome home must be treated like a roof to avoid leaks at the seams. Dome construction has never really caught on for homes because of these problems.
*cubes was the term used for typical home construction with rectangular vertical walls and a pitched roof.
A builder told me essentially the same thing that TriPolar said. The big problem was leaky seams. And they were difficult to sell to new owners. Even in good times.
Isn’t that house some guy designed to be hurricane proof in the Carolinas [?] more or less a dome? I seem to remember it is actually bean shaped … found it - Dome of a Home.
There’s always these guys:
From what I can tell, it’s some sort of inflatable form that’s covered with some sort of sprayable concrete, and then lined with insulation foam. Seems to be both strong and energy efficient from what they say, and their facility on I-35 between Dallas and Waco has been there for at least 10 years.
There are numerous designs out there, and many of the ones using non-traditional building techniques are interesting, but still often not appealing to typical home buyers. Consider the problem of repairs to the exterior, adding or changing windows and doors, and dividing the interior space. It was also very difficult to use domes as homes in some localities because of building codes. They will be very energy efficient in terms of the enclosed space because the surface area is minimized from the spherical shape. But there is often a lot of unusable space in a dome diminishing this a little in actual usage. You might look at the ways domes have been constructed for centuries to see the variance in possible construction technique. Geodesic domes aren’t particularly different from other dome building techniques in terms of efficiency and strength.
You can download a .pdf of the fascinating Dome Book 2. A little dated, but it has loads of info.
FWIW, I don’t have any skin in the dome home game; I just drive by those guys’ facility every time we visit my in-laws, and eventually googled them.
That was pretty much one of those ‘for anybody interested’ type posts.
‘skin in the dome game’ is actually witty. Dome exterior surfaces are often called ‘skins’.
Wow.
This applies to, a lesser extent, with Quonset huts. Moved into one refurbish with Mahogany trim, plaster ceiling/walls and high-end kitchen appliances. Oh, and a chimney that came straight out of Dr. Seuss (rose up out of the ceiling, curved away from the hut, the curved straight up again, and then fluted at the corners). Hotter then hell during the summer because the upstairs loft had no ventilation at the peak. But the view was a worth million dollars and my living space was 20 times larger than the cramped room I’d rented before.
The criticism is a little harsh in that piece, but those are the problems with the stick frame domes. Try looking at the link to the Dome Book to see some of the alternatives, and how people attempted to deal with those issues. There’s a lot of cool stuff in there.
Buckminster Fuller definitely popularized the idea of using geodesic domes for buildings, and lots of other cool, but impractical ideas. I saw him lecture a couple of times. He was clever, entertaining, and inspiring.
I would love a franchise for this Japanese dome house concept.
I think they would make great housing ideas for guest houses on our proposed farm. [most domes are not wheelchair friendly thanks to the funky angles stuff ends up having thanks to dealing with life in the round.]
I learned during a visit that the only building in Pomei which completely survived the eruption of Mt Vesuvius–roof and all-was the central bath house. It had a domed roof and was able to withstand the weight and impact of the lava, stones, ash and debris. The other houses and buildings had normal flat roofs.