geodesic domes

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PRINCIPLES OF THE GEODESIC DOME:I. The economy of the sphere. (1) the circle contains more area, for a given perimeter, than any other planar shape.Corollary: The circle exposes less perimeter, for a given area, than any other planar shape. (2) The sphere contains more volume, for a given surface area, than any other polyhedral shape.Corollary: The sphere exposes less surface area, for a given volume, than any other polyhedral shape.Corollary: For given volume and given amount of material, the sphere will form the thickest structure.II. The conservation of materials. (3) As the surface area of a structure rises, for a given volume, the amount of construction material generally rises, other things being equal.(4) The cost of a structure rises as the amount of material used in construction rises, other things being equal.III. The control of air temperature. (5) When brought together, two substances (or masses) of different temperatures will each change their temperature toward the other’s, until they are at the same temperature.(6) For a given mass, (such as the interior air-mass of a structure), as the amount of surface area it exposes to its surrounding environment increases, the faster it will change its temperature toward the temperature of the surrounding environment.Corollary: For a given mass, (such as the interior air-mass of a structure), as the amount of surface area it exposes to its environment decreases, the slower it will change its temperature toward the temperature of the surrounding environment. IV. The distribution ability of the sphere. (7) The more distributed (spread out) a force, the easier it is to resist (or stop).Corollary: The more concentrated a force, the harder it is to resist (or stop).(8) For a given force, a sphere will more evenly distribute that force than any other polyhedral shape. V. The nature of the lever. (9) The lever can be used to move things, or hold things in place.(10) A triangle is composed of interlocked levers which allow it to self-stabilize with a minimum of effort.VI. The firmness of the triangle. (11) The triangle is the only polygon that is inherently stable.(12) When interconnected triangles are closed into a spherical shape, the resulting structure is stable.(c) W. Lauritzen 1996