Geodesic Domes Gain Weight and Settle Down
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 01.12.07
How could we call ourselves treehuggers and not cover this- the rebirth of every hippie's dream, the geodesic dome. However Bucky himself might have trouble recognizing these- he thought of them as light, elegant structures that were built out of a minimum of materials, not bombproof concrete. Treehugger hero Jay Baldwin says that when he worked with Bucky, the domes were rarely more than a standard 24 feet in diameter and cost less than $1,000 to build. Not any more: “The domes have gotten bigger and more expensive as people’s incomes expanded,” said Dennis Johnson, who founded Natural Spaces Domes. “They want another bedroom,” said Robert Singer, the president of Timberline Geodesics, a dome manufacturer in Berkeley, Calif. “They want the home office, they want the entertainment room, they want the extra space in the basement, they want the large custom kitchen.” Jay thinks they are bastardizations of Fuller's concepts. “I call them elephant droppings,” he said. “Fuller’s idea was that of a machine-made object, a pure geometry.” ::New York Times
Photographs by Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times
Bruce Nelkin and his wife, Deana, an insurance underwriter, spent about half a million dollars building their double dome on a 1.64-acre lot in Westchester County.
Constructed by American Ingenuity of Rockledge, Fla., which specializes in energy-efficient domes, the house is covered with four-inch-thick concrete panels and has seven-inch-thick polystyrene wallboard on the inside for added insulation.
It has 2,300 square feet of living space, including three bedrooms, a library and two offices, and although Mr. Nelkin admitted that they have had some trouble with leaks, he said the heating bills are minuscule.
The Nelkins, left, who have a toddler and a baby on the way, designed the inside of the house for comfort. Both science fiction fans, they were taken by the futuristic look of domes, but they modeled the interior on a Vermont ski lodge.
“Purely futuristic would be cold and hard and too utilitarian,” Mr. Nelkin said.
Follow @TreeHugger on Twitter & get our headlines with @TH_rss!
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- 5 Reuses for CDs: Turn Old CDs into New Geek Gear
- Find Your Dinner at the Farmers' Market: Peas and Prosciutto
- Trust Stella McCartney: Meat-Free Mondays are Hip, not Hippie!
- Build a Greenhouse without Going Broke
- UFO Sighting in VA Makes Us Ask: Could We Just Move to Another Planet?
- Chipotle Goes Green, Plus Recipe for Hormone-Free Braised Pork with Chipotle Peppers
Spherical and semi-spherical objects are very good at distributing external pressure, making them structurally stable. I live in Las Cruces, NM, where it gets very hot in the summer. I have been wondering if a geodesic sphere could be advantageous if built underground. A portion of the sphere could project aboveground as a shallow dome, rather like (forgive me) the Tellytubbies house. The interior could have some natural light by way of SolarTube-type conduits. It would then be much cooler in the summer. An additional bonus would be the small site footprint, compared with the overall volume of the house.
Though the design reduces the amount of materials needed for construction and also reduces heating costs, it cannot be considered a particularly environmentally conscious choice if it is made principally from concrete (four inches of the stuff over the entire external surface).
Daniel,
If you want to go under ground, or earth covered, look into ferro-cement. Do a internet search on the work of Peter Vetsch. He has some interesting houses. With ferro-cement you have most of the strength of the geodesic dome without the ridgit shape.
I've never lived in one of these houses or seem them but they seem to be what you would be looking for.
Heating costs? In Florida? I live in New England and we haven't turned on our heat yet this year. If people in Florida feel the need to heat their houses they must be leaving their windows open and walking around in shorts or something...
Anybody have any personal recommendations for dome kits?
Turil: I think they live in Westchester County, NY and American Ingenuity is located in Florida. American Ingenuity's domes save you 65% on all of your energy consumption.
Yes, they may use concrete, but their domes are virtually indestructable. They warranty against huricanes, tordado, and earthquakes. So, they may use concrete, but you are saving energy, you are not rebuilding after disasters, there is no roof to re-roof or re-shingle, and the list goes on. What do you think cutting down trees is great for the envirioment? What should we make our homes of, bamboo? Wouldn't last through a Florida huricane or a NY winter.
Geodesic Domes are superior construction for strength as Chris points out They; AiDomes.com do warranty against hurricanes, tornado, and earthquakes. Concrete is also fireproof on the outside and ours uses steal framing so carpenter ants or termites wouldn't have a chance even if they got in somehow.
Building underground is a fantastic idea and I don't really mind being compared to the Tellytubbies; the thought of putting the dome underground with tube lighting and a lawn on top did cross my mind but we have a fantastic view being situated on a cliff facing the sunrise and town below.
As the article pointed out we were having a water leak problem in a few places although now we found the solution, Dow Corning All Guard Silicone Elastomeric Coating. First we power wash off the last 3 products that don't work, then we use the new stuff and smile. We will have to put on a second coat after the winter weather is done and the new color is adobe brown. The white was too bright to look at without dark sunglasses when hanging out on the deck hence the darker color choice.
Ian, if I were to build another Dome from a kit which A.I. does supply I would go with Natural Spaces Domes {naturalspacesdomes.com} and use their metal roofing system for water proofing. naturalspacesdomes.com/roofing/aluminum.htm
If you have unlimited funds you might consider Monolithic Domes static.monolithic.com/ You can also Google my name or find me on face book and I’ll be happy to tell you all you need to know.
Sincerely,
Bruce Nelkin