Geodesic Design Group's topics - tribe.net

PreFab Star Joints?

Novysan — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 17:25:51 GMT

I've googled, looked, scoured the net, but no luck. It seems to me that SOMEBODY shuld make a standard PVC fitting for doing domes, but I can't find one. Perhaps we're to much of a niche market? Different angles for different frequencys, etc. Anybody ever seen anything like it?

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 5 replies

woohoo

Ben — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:50:11 GMT

My dome construction has finally started. I've got all my conduit cut in the appropriate lengths and will start squishing ends tomorrow. Anybody know of any places that will rent a 12 ton hydraulic press? I was going to give Northern Tools a try first.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 13 replies

WHAT ABOUT TETRAHEDRONS ?

lorenzonine — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 04:53:42 GMT

four equilateral triangles, the basic geometric 3 D object, ultra integrity and stability, and universally attachable to each other.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 11 replies

post apopo domer's

Shadoan — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:34:54 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/v/gS2aN15wnNY&hl=en"

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 1 reply

Geodesic cylinder?

Landon — Thu, 22 May 2008 01:03:01 GMT

Is there anyone who has any info on strut length ratio and layout, for building a structural column/ cylinder capable of supporting weight up to maybe 1000 lbs. My par diameter is 13 feet. The project is for a raised platform.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 8 replies

DIY Dome Lifter

John — Fri, 23 May 2008 14:05:04 GMT

So this year I have hopes to keep my crew on the ground (and thus more of them working) by building from the top Down.. I'd like to use something that I can revive from some other life.. My dome is a 15' high when done and weighs about 400lbs by my estimates..

Best Ideas so far...

old parking lot light pole.
Extention ladder..

Any Suggestions..

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 2 replies

Building a bennndy dome

corbindallas — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:10:32 GMT

Hi all! I'm considering building a 20 foot dome by bending long struts of pvc. I've been thinking I can make the center arcs about 30' long (6x 5' connected poles of 1" pvc for portability), and the side poles about 20' long. This will be a dwelling for Burning Man, so I will be re-barring its base circle (circumference of 60') like crazy, and attaching guy wires to the sides.

For connectors, I would use 1 1/4" pvc cut into 2' lengths. After inserting the poles into the connectors, holes can be drilled through connector and poles, and zip-ties inserted and fastened, to keep the poles from flying apart.

Is there anyone here who thinks this is a bad idea, structurally speaking?

I am also considering ways to build the skin, which I plan to attach with grommets and bungee balls. I know ventilation is very important, and will make sure the dome can be opened up at at least four points along the base.

I know some of you favor pvc because it's flexible, light, and relatively cheap, but that others of you do not, because it becomes brittle and can shatter (then there was the whole thing about whether or not pvc can be recycled or not). Since weight and finances are my two main concerns for this structure, I've decided to go with pvc.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! :)

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 14 replies

Lights and Sound in a dome

Justin — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:21:03 GMT

Hello Geodesic Geeks,

First, thanks for your advice regarding our 32' 4v conduit dome. It was a smashing success and we can't wait to rock out on the playa.

Now that we have the dome assembled, I was wondering if people had any creative ideas about how to attach things like lights to the dome. We used 2" bolts so that there is enough bolt left to attach another nut/washers and I was thinking about making some brackets out of angle iron or something. There is also the possibility of using the < > type clamps as used to mount lighting to truss/poles/etc, but I thought those might be too wide or otherwise not ideal for mounting to thin pipe (3/4 inch) Does anybody have any experience mounting lights (like intelligent lights , spotlights, moving heads etc) to conduit domes? Any advice?

I was also wondering about acoustics and if anybody has advice on speaker placement inside a round structure. We have 2 tops and 1 bottom and are looking at different ways to arrange them.

Any other general advice about sound/lights would be appreciated. We are making a PIC microcontroller-based LED lighting array to light the dome, using 1w luxeon LEDs in RGB clusters to do color mixing. I will share some more info on this as the project moves along.

Peace!

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 1 reply

Raising a big dome

Justin — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:05:31 GMT

Hello all, I see this group is not very active but I had some questions I was hoping we could get some insight into.

We are building a 32' 4v dome out of 3/4 EMT for our local burn event this summer (flipside) and were wondering how other people with similarly large domes erected their structures. Our current plan is to rent an 18' lift/hoist (something like the Genie SLC-18) and build the dome top-down while raising the assembled part up the hoist. Building a dome of this size bottom-up does not seem at all practical unless you had lots of ladders, people, and time. I was thinking about constructing a flagpole type thing with 4x4 posts and guy lines and block&tackle, but my campmate was worried about the stability and safety factor. The lift seems like the "proper" solution but it costs money and we figured someone else may have come up with a clever way to raise a 500 pound dome 15-20 feet in the air. So there it is - How do y'all build your big-ass domes? I am also wondering about custom coverings, using parachutes or tarps for covering large domes - specifically, how resistant are rip-stop nylon chutes to abrading on the sharp edges of the struts? I figured that the first good wind storm would cause the chute to snag on the edges and destroy itself very quickly. Our plan to counter this was to round off the sharp ends with a bench grinder. As far as a custom-sewn cover, do people prefer an icosahedron-shaped cover (approximating the big triangles in the icosahedron) or a parachute-style cover with thin strips of fabric that get wider at the base to form a dome shape?

This is unknown territory for us, so we would appreciate any helpful insight. Thanks!

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 10 replies

cardboard domes

corbindallas — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 19:31:17 GMT

These look great and are relatively inexpensive to make.

http://www.monkeyc.org/dome/index.html

I have one that is not yet playa tested, and was thinking of making another for this year, with 1/4" wood panels instead of cardboard, and tabs that hinge, for flat-pack portability. Wood seems to hold up pretty well on the playa in a storm, not to mention that it completely blocks out the light. :) For anchoring, I would rebar the bottom gaskets, but I'd also like to attach guy wires from the centers of the five wall-pentagons, rebarring them into the ground, as well.

Since this design constructs a 12' 7" dome, and I would like something a little bigger, I've considered making two - one as a sleeping, dressing, and fooding area, with the other as a chill zone for our campmates and us.

I'm curious to hear from you all on what you think of the structural integrity of this design, especially if you have had experience with one of these on the playa, or know someone who has.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

What about pyramids?

mrcurtain — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 05:59:48 GMT

I could not find any pyramid tribes, but thought that you guys might be able to provide some help or point me in the right direction.

I saw some good pyramids this year at Burningman. Primarily they are constructed with each side being made up of many smaller pyramids.

I like this design a lot, because if you want to increase the size of your structure it seems all you have to do is add another level to the bottom. While, if you want create a larger dome, you have to rebuild it from scratch.

Does anyone have any tips, tricks, or references for building pyramids?

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 7 replies

Anyone looking for a new dome frame?

Jeeves — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:00:07 GMT

My burning man camp, Smoochdome (www.smoochdome.org) is considering building a new dome this year.

As we started looking into setting ourselves up to build, we realized that once you're committed to making one dome, it's quite easy to expand a bit, and make many. So, we're thinking about jigging up a shop for a few days, and building a number of them.

We're looking for other camps or groups that were considering building or buying a dome for this year. Hopefully, by teaming up, we can cut costs by buying the parts in higher quantities.

We'll be building them as 32 foot diameter, frequency 4 geodesic domes, using 1 inch EMT conduit crimped and drilled.

We're not planning to mass produce covers, but could send you templates to create your own.

We could either deliver the finished kits (with all hardware needed) to the playa, ship them to you before, or you could pick them up from our NYC build site. (our target date to have them built is June 15th) (note that shipping will be additional)

Once we can gauge interest, we can sort out what the costs will be. The more domes we build, the less expensive they'll be...

Anyone interested in teaming up with us?

Please send me a direct message if you are.

Thanks!

-Jeeves

(for images of our dome and cover, just do a google image search for 'smoochdome')

(also note, we're not looking to profit from this... just cover overall costs of producing them...)

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

BM 2007 Lessons learned?

bscanlon — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 09:41:43 GMT

Hey there folks,

How did your cool geodesic project go?

This was a heavier weather year than has been seen in a few, how did your structure handle it?

Lessons learned?

Thanks for the vicarious pleasure,
Bruce :-)

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 10 replies

swedish covering

Hoodoo — Sat, 26 May 2007 00:25:51 GMT

Does anyone know of a source for Swedish Army snow camo netting? The stuff that looks
like a white tyvek tarp full of holes? It used to be somewhat plentiful and cheap. Now I'm
afraid its hard to find and expensive. It makes for an excellent shade structure cover.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 3 replies

Wild Domes

Trust — Fri, 18 Feb 2005 03:42:42 GMT

Hire me. Anything with domes, lots of experiance, Worked for Pacific Domes for years, still kinda do.
Currently designing and building set in Hollywood.
Andrew
541-301-1294

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 3 replies

weight on the top of a dome?

Jeeves — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:19:17 GMT

hey, y'all.

my camp has a 32' diameter 4v dome that's been to the playa a few times. This year, we've built a sign to put on top of it. I'm curious what folks think about load bearing limits for domes.

The dome is constructed of 1" EMT.

The sign is approximately 4'x'4 in the shape of open lips (it has an opening to hopefully reduce it's wind load a little bit). It weighs roughly 80lbs.

Currently, my plan is to attach a 5 legged 'tripod' to the top pentagon of the dome, with a joiner plate at the top of the 'tripod' that the sign is bolted to. there's also a support that rises from the center point of the dome, to the bottom of the connector plate. I'll also have 3 guy wires from the top of the sign to lower points on the dome, to try to minimize sway. (if i've just confused you, i can try to draw it up later)

When I mocked it all up on just the top section of dome in the shop, it felt quite solid. I'm now just concerned about how it'll work on the playa, in the wind...

whatchaall think?

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 6 replies

Help us get our art car to the playa!!!

Marcia — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:41:07 GMT

Our camp's dome builder, Stove, turned his interest toward building an art car this year for Burning Man. But we're having a mini-crisis... perhaps you can help?

The truck that was to tow our art car to the playa fell through, and we need some help in getting our mutant vehicle to BRC!

We have a shell of an old Volvo with a 30ft dragonfly attached, currently in Southern California, and we need to get it at least to Reno.

She is street-legal, but driving her from SoCal to BM isn't going to work. The art car is in San Diego now, but we can get her to Oceanside, or, if need be, to Los Angeles.

We need a vehicle that can tow 5000lbs and can take a trailer tongue-weight of 500 lbs.

Our team has been working hard on this vehicle all summer and we need your help to get it to the playa.

We can rent a trailer, or borrow one.
We would like to get the car towed from SoCal to either Reno or Black Rock City.
We will be eternally grateful for your help and will shower you with kisses and love if you can get our Dragonfly to the playa.

If you think you might be able to help, please tribe me or call me at 212-737-6368.

Thanks,
MarciaB

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

Covering the dome...

veeyawn — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 21:29:00 GMT

We recently began construction of our dome covering. I'll try to keep this post updated as we go since there seems to be a small amount of info out there about dome coverings. We're using billboard vinyl and we've cut it into 20 long triangles that we're cementing together with pvc cement. Hopefully, it does the trick.

V

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 9 replies

DomeBuilders.net and my dome projects

justin — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 23:07:00 GMT

Hey everyone,
I wanted to share a couple things with you since this group helped inspire their creation. I've been working on a couple of domes for burningman, a 17' radius 2v and a 12' radius 3v. Also since I make free community websites for a living I decided to set one up for geodesic dome builders, so I'd have a place to post up my photos:

http://www.DomeBuilders.net/Justin

Feel free to register and share some pics of your geodesic explorations. By the way if anyone here doesn't already know, Google Sketchup is a great 3d app for mocking up your dome. Unfortunately all of the geodesic models I found, including the primitive included with the app, had tiny little flaws that turned out to take hours to fix. I'll be sharing up some more mathematically accurate primitives when I get some time, but feel free to email me if you'd like to get a copy.
-Justin

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

stake length

edward — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 23:25:19 GMT

My dome is 5/8, 3V, 13.95 radius. Any suggestions on the number, guage and length of stakes I should use for the playa this year? I was planning on bending them out of rebar. It is my first time taking a dome to the playa. Thanks

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 7 replies

Seeds of peace in the middle east?

Benj_of_Arc — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 07:24:07 GMT

Hay all!
I've tried to post a this before, but for some reason, it didn't registrar and folks couldn't read what I had written. So, I'm going to attempt to write it out again and hopefully this time, we'll have more responses,

Ok, so...a little info and background. I'm in Israel, and working on a project out here to grow herbs for the community. Also, wanting very much to have a program available for kids and their parents to learn about plants and how they communicate with us on all levels. It's really something that isn't being done here and I would like to bring this opportunity to light. I need some help. That's way i'm writing this request. We have a few green houses, so climate is not an issue. We need seeds! All different kinds, but organic. Herbs and winter vegetables.

The list for herbs:Elder flowers ,Yarrow ,Sage ,Rose hips ,Echinacea,Mullein,Astragalus,
Poke Root,Elecampane ,Thyme.

We are asking for 30 seeds each be sent to Israel.
We are asking for donations, since this project can really use all the help it can get and we really don't have the funds to get these seeds. Also, we request that the seeds are from your own garden and collected by you. It's a beautifal thing to know that the seeds that we are receiving are from people who cared for these plants and havested the seeds themselves. There is a story there and it makes it interesting to explain where these seeds came from and who cared for them. We like telling it this way.

Our request for organic Veggie seeds:
Celery ,Chinese leaves ,Dark greens ,Leeks ,Mushrooms, Squashes ,Winter roots ,Winter salads.

If it's not too much trouble to send the seeds with labels so we know what is what.

If you have any questions please feel to send me a message.
Thanks so much for helping us with this project. I mean a lot to us and the many people who's lives will be changed by your seeds.

If you are interested, please let me know and I can give out the address of where to send the seeds.

~peace~

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

dome covers

gilad — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 16:14:14 GMT

hi to all
i am a dome builder in israel and i still haven't founed the perfect cover matirial wich is waterproof and breathable.
if somebodey know something like it i will be more then thankfull
i know my website is only in hebrew
but maybe some of you guys know it so
http://www.ecodome.co.il
thanks
gilad

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

easiest billboard vinyl covering ideas?

alabamaslamma — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:23:08 GMT

So, we have a small frequency dome and just scored some billboard vinyl. We don't have the time or resources to make it into a custom cover. We saw domes just draped with it at 4th a Juplaya, which, while we were out there, was very calm as far as wind.
Does anyone have experience with just draping and tying down? We could cut it into a few sections.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

Mobile Dome

BadgerWatkins — Thu, 24 May 2007 22:11:59 GMT

Well I didn't want to let the cat out of the bag so soon, but I need the advice. :)

I'm in the planning stages for a self powered, mobile dome (3freq, 35ft dia). I've already worked out how to stablize the bottom so it won't "taco", but the other thread about "Dome failure" and a bare dome getting rolled by the wind has got me worried about this thing getting tipped over.

Thoughts, math, advice, solutions anyone?

Thanks,
Badger

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 13 replies

3v 5/8ths revealed!

Marcia — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 23:27:08 GMT

The shocking expose' of what the hell 3v 5/8ths means in dome-land!

www.youtube.com/v/r8tpiRQ5SZo

(Actually it's a basic tutorial about what those numbers mean. I figured it might be handy for beginners or folks who are trying to explain to their camps how to put their domes together.)

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

Parachute for Sale (Dome Covering).....

Brennesiology — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 10:16:30 GMT

Yup, it didn't sell last September as it was oversized for an art install, but I've got a 64' flying diameter parachute that would easily cover a 60' dome for less hassle than it's worth to sew your own cover or buy a fit cover for a large dome. I paid $150 for it and I'll ship it for $180 (I dunno if I'll even get shipping for $30, but it's not doing me any good, and if I need one, I'll shop it again) anywhere on the West Coast (negotiable if shipping charges are grotesque). I think Greyhound was the cheapest I found to send it as far as Seattle for someone in B.C. who ended up not making the buy. $180 for a 64'chute. Message or call if interested.

Synergetically,
Brennon Kaye
(510) 207-4405

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

20ft diameter 2 V geodesic sphere in a tree???????????

amrita — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 22:16:37 GMT

how much would the materials cost if I'm cutting the pipes, drilling the holes and flattening the ends myself?
I believe that I can at least have the top half made of aluminum.

anybody want to get in on this project?it will be a perminant structure at the Firefly festival in Vermont. to be enjoyed by all.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 3 replies

Bill Woods' DynaDome connector

Novysan — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:07:11 GMT

I was in the art and architecture book store in Sunday and came across this book simply called "Shelter"

http://www.amazon.com/Shelter-Lloyd-Kahn/dp/0936070110/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-4554612-5158369?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181844207&sr=8-1

In it was an illustration for a dome connector by a man called Bob Woods and a company called DynaDomes, which no longer seems to be active.

I'm ordering the book and I'll post a pic of this simple, yet what appears to be a very effective connector for building octahedral domes.

Anybody else have this book?

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 5 replies

OT ~ Radical Backpacking

fucko — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 19:42:23 GMT

For the adventurous creative expressive or simply silly outdoor people.
"http://tribes.tribe.net/radicalbackpack"

oxo
fko

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

PVC 2v octahedral dome

bscanlon — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 04:54:56 GMT

Hi!

Scattered comments on recent threads have suggested that PVC is currently held in low esteem as a dome building material.

I’ve made solid domes with different geometries from both metal and PVC, and they are both good or bad in the right situation.

While it is not perfect for all applications, PVC has different qualities than metal and at lengths over 4 feet or so, your PVC will flex but not permanently bend or break. Any but the $trongest metal will. And that PVC is never going to rust :-)

Common dome design tends to move towards short strut lengths since people want to build big, and almost always use the highly publicized icosahedral strut ratios. But if your dome is not too huge, and you use the low frequency octrahedral strut ratios, you will find that your strut lengths get to around 10 feet, which is great for PVC but lousy for metal.

Costs for both PVC and metal have gone up quite a bit, and dealing with 10 foot pvc poles has plusses and minuses versus 4 foot metal poles, so I leave it to you to figure out the cheapest and most sensible way to suit your own needs after considering the following design.

This is my design for an octahedral 2 frequency PVC dome that was on the playa for the last two years and performed like a champ.

It has a diameter of about 17 feet and a height of about 10 feet. The walls are close to vertical, so there is a lot of usable space. 2 people can put a huge tent underneath and live in luxury. We have also stuck 4 people in 3 tents under one, with room left over for an 8 foot long kitchen/utility table and some other stuff.

First, some pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bruce.scanlon/2vPVCOctadome

Still interested? OK, here is how you build it.

Experienced dome builders can skip over a lot of the discussion of attaching vertices/hubs. On the other hand I hope that newbies can actually put one of these together with these instructions.

Remember, ALWAYS DO A TEST BUILD before you get to the playa.

Parts:

Structure:

12 x 10’ 2” OD PVC
8 (or 16 with bottomtubes) 7.6’ 2” OD PVC
9 x 4’ long 1” wide nylon straps* with metal cam buckles
4 x 6’ long 1” wide nylon straps* with metal cam buckles
8 (or 3 with bottomtubes) rebar candy cane or other ground anchors

*Nylon strap supplier:
http://www.ahh.biz/products/Pre_made_straps/1_nylon_metal_cam_lock_Strap.htm

Cover:

1 x 20’ x 40’ tarp*
1 x 14’ x 16’ (or larger) air permeable cover—shade cloth, swedish snow camo, etc.*
approx 150’ – 200’ rope*
fabric clips* or other means of attachment
heavy duty zip ties or other means of attachment- as many as you have grommets along the 40’ length of tarp, plus extras.
Nylon straps or rope for fastening down the tarp in various places

*tarp supplier:
http://www.thortarp.com/consumer.htm
http://www.etarp.com/cgi-bin/import.cgi

*swedish snow camo tarps are now hard to find. Sorry!
*I bought my rope at www.majorsurplusnsurvival.com but their stock varies all the time.
*fabric clips at http://shelter-systems.com/gripclips/

I used 2” outside diameter PVC. You could probably get away with 1 ½” or even 1” OD, but you will be experimenting. Let me know how it works out on the playa.

One person can put this whole thing together, but it is easier with two or three, especially if you lack experience with these materials and construction methods.

You can build it with or without struts going along the ground (bottomtubes). There are pictures of both versions.

With bottomtubes you have the advantage that you can drag the assembled dome around to where you want it. You also have to put in fewer ground anchor points (rebar candy canes work best).

I prefer to build without bottomtubes. Why? You save yourself $ because you need 8 fewer tubes, and you have 8 fewer tubes to transport and fiddle around with. (There is a very small additional cost in extra rebar). In addition, the dome is a much more pleasant living experience without that tube going along the ground getting in your way when you want to go in and out. The dome has superior “indoor-outdoor flow,” as they say in the real estate business. It feels bigger because you aren’t drawing lines around it. You may also have something going on the ground that would be obstructed by the bottomtubes. It is a bit more difficult to assemble without bottomtubes. You will need a person or two to help at the end.

There are only 2 lengths of tubes, in a ratio of about 10 to 7.6. Since they are sold in 10 foot lengths, I made my domes with 10 foot and 7.6 foot tubes. 7.6 feet is about 7 feet 8 inches. Actually, I used 7 feet 10 inch tubes and I had no problems. This construction method is very forgiving of strut length variation.

Without bottomtubes you will need eight 7.6 foot tubes and twelve 10 foot tubes. Add 8 more 7.6 foot tubes if you want bottomtubes.

At the end of each tube, 1 or 2 inches from each end, drill a ¾” hole all the way through from one side to another. So each end will have two holes in it on opposite sides of the tube from each other. Try to keep the holes centered, but don’t worry too much. Look at the diagram.

You will also need to cut and bend your rebar. If you live in Berkeley or know someone who does, you are in luck because you can borrow for free a rebar cutter/bender from the Berkeley tool library.

Wow, you have cut your tubes to length, drilled holes, bent your rebar, and you are done with fabrication already. Easy!

Now to build it. I always have done this from the top down. If you build from the bottom up, let me know how it goes.

Start with four 7.6’ tubes. You can attach them with rope (not recommended) or 1” nylon straps with metal cam buckles, which you can get at american home and habitat:
http://www.ahh.biz/products/Pre_made_straps/1_nylon_metal_cam_lock_Strap.htm
I like the 4 foot straps for the vertices/hubs that have fewer struts, and the 6 foot straps for the ones that have 6 struts. You get a deal on ordering these in lots of 10, and they are handy for attaching tarps and other things as well, so consider getting extra.

Take the fabric end of the strap and run it through both holes at one end of a tube. You will be following the same path the drill bit followed when it went through both sides. Then string the next tube on the strap the same way, and so on. Once the fourth tube is strung, run the end of the strap through the cam buckle and tighten it up. Leave some slack during construction, and then at the end you will go back and tighten them all as best you can.

Now you have a big “X.” At the free end one of the bars of the X, attach four 10’ poles and one more 7.6’ foot pole the same way, by stringing the ends of the tubes with a strap. Putting the tubes in the right order is a good idea—on your string the two 7.6’ tubes should have two 10’ tubes on either side. Look at the diagrams. On each vertex, you have 7.6’ tubes at 12 and 6 o’clock, and four 10’ tubes at 2 o’clock, 4 o’clock, 7 o’clock and 10 o’clock. Fasten and tighten the strap, and leave some slack.

OK, be careful here in this next part. The most common error in constructing these things comes from when you are supposed to use the other end of a tube you have already attached, but you bring in an additional new tube instead.

Go to the next free bar end of the X counterclockwise. Take the free end of the 10 o’clock tube from the hub/vertex you just did. This will be the 2 o’clock tube on the vertex you are now working on. Get new tubes for the rest, as above.

Go to the next free bar end of the X, doing the same as above, taking the free end of the 10 o’ clock tube from the vertex you just finished, and new tubes for the rest (except for the free end of the original X, of course).

Now go to the last free bar end of the X. The 2 o’clock tube comes from the vertex you just did, and the 10 o’clock tube comes from the first vertex of this group of 4. The 12 o’clock tube is the free end of the original X. When you are done you will have made a square base pyramid with a bunch of tubes sticking off the sides. If you don’t have a happy little square base pyramid you have done something wrong.

You will be going from having all the tubes lying on the ground to a three dimensional figure here. It helps to have someone lift the center of the X, where the four 7.6’ tubes met.

That was the hardest part—you’re almost done. The four free ends of the 7.6 foot tubes, one of which sticks off of each vertex you just did, is going to stay free for now. But the free ends of the 10 foot poles sticking out, that come from the 4 o’clock and 7 o’clock spots on each vertex are going to get fastened together in pairs. Each 4 o’clock gets fastened to its 7 o’clock neighbor. Take a look at the top view diagram.

Now you have four free 7.6’ ends and four 10’ pairs. These are your 8 ground anchor points.

If you are using bottomtubes, these 8 points get attached with 7.6’ tubes between them. You will probably want someone to lift up the centerward parts of the dome while you are fastening them.

If you are not using bottomtubes, then figure out where you want your dome, and pound in your 8 rebar candy canes. The ones on the opposite sides of the rough circle you will be forming should be about 17 feet apart.

With bottomtubes, drag it to where you want it and put at least 3 rebar anchors on vertices spaced around the dome. One strongish person can do this.

Without bottomtubes, pound in rebar and then fasten ground attachment points described above to each of the 8 ground points. One or two people to help hold up the dome is really vital here.

When you have the dome in position, tighten up all of the nylon straps as much as possible. You will see from the pictures that some of the vertices/hubs are pretty slack and sloppy looking. That’s OK, just do what you can.

Now you need to cover it.

You can do whatever you want, of course, but here is what I suggest. Take another look at the pictures, taking note of the compass directions and where the openings of the tarps are on the satellite photo.

First, my core shade principles:

Orient main tarp coverage to South by Southeast, but cover tarp over ¾ of the sides, leaving only the north by northwest open.
2 tarp layers, outer layer breathable, inner layer solid and air/waterproof.
Do not make pockets at the top where hot air can be trapped.
Front and back ventilation allow a breeze.

I have used Thor tarp durashield 6500 as the bottom waterproof layer and swedish army surplus Tyvek snow break up camo covers as the top breathable layer.
http://www.etarp.com/cgi-bin/import.cgi

The swedish snow camo tarps are now popular and mostly sold out, expensive, and hard to find, and thor tarps is charging about 50% more than what I paid for my tarps 5 years ago, so your mileage may vary.

It is much more important to have at least 2 layers than it is to use any particular kind of tarp or cover.

So here is my technique.

Take a 20’ x 40’ solid waterproof tarp and attach 1 heavy duty zip tie to each grommet along the edge of the tarp. Don’t zip up the zip ties all the way, leave space. String rope through the zip ties along all edges. This is to allow easy rope threading and to prevent blowing out your grommets. At any rate, always make the rope tight and then attach the tarp to the rope. Do not tighten the tarp like it was a rope—tarps cannot take as much tension as ropes can.

Put your top breathable layer in the middle (or over the entirety) of the 20 x 40 tarp. I used grip clips http://shelter-systems.com/gripclips/ to attach the tarps. These clips are great for making hard anchor points on your tarps wherever you want them. Be sure to order some of the nylon cord they sell or you won’t be able to use the clips as an anchor point, you will just be able to use them to attach two tarps together. Order the largest clip size for use with heavy duty tarps.

Fasten the bottom 40’ edge of the tarp along the bottom of your dome. Spend a moment thinking about which is the top side and which is the bottom side of the tarp. The bottom side will be sort of up when you do this, and the top sort of down. This is because you will pull the loose 40’ edge over the top of the dome.

Tie or attach the rope running along the edge of the tarp at each ground vertex. This will take you about ¾ of the way around the dome. Make sure the unattached part is pointing North or North by Northwest. Leave about 4 –6 feet of slack in the tarp in the middle of the bottom edge. This will allow for ventilation later on, and the slack will be tightened up.

Now pull the top 40’ edge up over the dome, up to the top vertex. Fasten the rope at the top vertex and the 2 northeast and northwest corners. Leave one quarter of the top open—do not cover the hole top pyramid part of the dome. If you leave part open, it allows hot air to escape. If you close this part off, hot air will be trapped and your dome will be a less pleasant place. Fasten all the way along the edges down to the ground. This will take some fussing and fiddling to get everything tight and tidy. Put extra zip ties around the rope and through the tarp grommets where they are being attached to the dome vertices/hubs.

Take the slack that you left in the back at the bottom and gather it up, making a low triangle. Use a grip clip or some other means to hold it all together, and then run a rope, ratcheting tie down, or long nylon strap from this place up to the horizontal dome strut above it, and run a rope, ratcheting tie down, or long nylon strap to the strut along the ground, one of the ones to the side, or a new rebar anchor. You are trying to create an open spot in the cover that will always let air through, but since this is on the south side you don’t want it to be too high, or you will be losing shade.

Look at the pictures.

Enjoy :-)

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

Large Permanent Dome - Materials / Construction?

mrcurtain — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:03:25 GMT

I'm looking towards the idea of building a large permanent dome as the central communal area for a community of 150 people.

I somehow assume that 2x4s would be the best material for constructing it, but I don't see any of the info on the various geodesic dome websites about using wood as the building material. Is it a good / bad choice?

Also... any suggestions or references for connector joins if we're building with 2x4s?

Cheers,
-Adam

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 12 replies

Looking for discussion partners and resources re: Geodesic

mauricekaehler — Thu, 24 May 2007 19:42:16 GMT

I am in the process of doing research with the intent of erecting a temporary Geodesic dome. This dome may be erected on a asphalt parking lot and will be used as a yoga studio. I have questions regarding appropriate flooring, security, portable bathrooms, heating and cooling, electricity powered by solar, air flow, acoustics, natural lighting and more and more. I would like to have discussions with others to find out their experiences, insights and knowledge of other alternative resources of information.

High love and yeehah!

Maurice Kaehler

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

What's everybody here for?

Brennesiology — Mon, 12 Jan 2004 22:10:01 GMT

Just curious what people have done here in regards to geodesic, what their level of interest is, and where they want to see the art and science of it go in the future? Just an open ended question.

Synergetically,
Brennon O. Kaye
SFCA, Spaceship Earth

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 19 replies

bucky ball in the trees

Shadoan — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 20:19:44 GMT

http://www.o2sustainability.com/#

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 4 replies

dome failure

Hoodoo — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 22:01:53 GMT

Hi, By way of quick introduction... I'm a long time burner, and BIG fan of domes, who just discovered this tribe. I'm anxious to see what's going on here.

A few weeks ago we had a regional burn. After it ended, one participant left his dome standing, intending to take it down a few days later. Strong winds came in and rolled the 3V dome into a cigar. (I just posted photos to the tribe) It wasn't covered, so the wind load should be low, but it wasn't staked down either. Word is that wind speeds were 70+ mph. The dome was pretty darn heavy. You can see from the photo how far the wind rolled it.

I could imagine this happening to a covered dome (with larger wind surface) but am very surprised this happened to a bare steel dome. Has anyone else seen large domes fail?

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 10 replies

Where the hell do you buy your materials?

Cooper — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 17:53:58 GMT

I have been having a hard time finding a place that has both the quantity (1000ft) and the price that we need to build our dome. Unfortunately, 1000 ft seems to be too small for any of the wholesalers I've found to give us the time of day, but home depot does not typically stock that much, and their prices are not really ideal for the quantity we need. I did have someone also suggest structural steel, saying it would be cheaper, but I've researched domes built with structural steel, and while the "orbbject" is quite cool, he said that using angle beams took a lot longer than was necessary to adapt them to fit together, and weakened the structural integrity of the dome.

right now what we're looking at is 1" conduit. Home depot is still the best price I've found, but it'll probably be about $700 for the materials after tax which is a lot more than I'd like to pay. I found salvaged conduit at urban ore for 20 cents a foot, which is amazing, but of course they only have about 100 or so feet at a time, and are rather inconsistent with respect to what materials they get in.

I also tried "Mr Lee" at the oakland flea market, on the recommendation of someone around the burning man tribe scene who seems to know him, but I found that his prices were actually worse than a lot of other places I've been, and he also didn't seem to be interested in supplying us with a quantity as large as 1000 feet.

At this point, I've probably been researching a supplier for about two months without a whole lot of luck. Are steel building materials currently a high-priced comodity? It seems like a lot of people have managed to get their materials for a LOT cheaper than anywhere I've found, as in like half the cost.

A little help would be great, because as soon as I find a solution, I'm ready to buy this stuff so we can get this project off the ground. The last thing I want is for this to not get started until a couple months before BM and then be rushing to get it done in time. We all know how that story goes, and this year I'd rather not be sitting out in the sun.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 5 replies

Covering a dome

farmboy — Tue, 27 Jul 2004 21:14:53 GMT

I was wondering if anyone has any good ideas for covering a 17' ft dome. I don't want to use a parachute cause I am going to be out on the playa and want something that will be more sturdy and actually provide shade. My other thought was to sew something out of silver tarps and shade netting but then doing all that flat stitching by hand is going to take for ever! Thank you...

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 31 replies

Living in a Geodome Year Round?

@-}--LoveMinx — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 18:09:04 GMT

I just bought some land in Oregon (way out in in middle of nowhere, not on any normal grids), and am considering some different housing options. One that looks a little more solid and warm than a Yurt is a Geodome type of house. Is anyone on this tribe living in a dome year round? Know anything about permanent structures, such as this one I saw in a newspaper article last weekend?

http://people.tribe.net/b8f91e89-4e72-4501-a92e-387a54c77d9b/photos/c8150069-22ee-4732-8be9-d69b942b74de

Is it possible to take the metal construction framework such as that at Burningman and create a viable house around it? Just curious as to whether or not anyone has experience with this, especially in colder climates (it snows where I bought the land).

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 2 replies

56 ft diameter 5V dome for sale

Yerba_Mate — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 03:24:48 GMT

We are selling the EarthTribe Dome.

This dome can be seen in the photos here on the Geodesic Design Group.

It is made of 1" conduit

it is a 5/8 sphere.

The cover is thick vinyl fabric welded together.

It has two lare entry doors that can be zipped and unzipped.

It comes with all the hardware to build.

Cost: $23,000.00

Located in Eugene OR

You must pick up

Mate'

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 3 replies

Domecountry Crossword challenge

captain — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 14:13:12 GMT

Try our crossword puzzle if you dare ...new entries for our next one welcomed..
heres the link
http://www.domecountry.com/dome/index.html
captain..._/)...

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

nosefish dome deck

hoco — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 00:52:10 GMT

I've devised a way to make a deck on top of a dome (e.g. on my 2v "optimal" dome). You can find pictures and instructions here: http://www.timefold.com/domedeck

If you decide to build one, please let me know how it turns out, or contact me if you have any questions, or if the web site isn't clear or needs improvement.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 2 replies

Looking for a machine press

Trust — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 20:58:07 GMT

Looking for a 10-ton or there abouts machine press in the Los Angeles area. Need to rent out for about 3 days. Will get die made.
Thanks,
Andrew
541-301-1294

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

bamboo dome for b-man

Ludewig — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 20:06:43 GMT

Howdy-

It is my goal this year to build a dome using only sustainable/biodegradable materials. I want to use bamboo instead of PVC or EMT. I would like to design a hub system that alows for quick set up, with minimal hair-loss. I then plan to use a WW2 surplus silk parachute to cover the thing.
Has anyone tried this before, and what worked/didn't? Any suggestions? I have a super-cheap sorce for Bamboo in the east-bay, if anyone needs bamboo.
I also want to construct a solar generator, but we will see how far into dept I can get before they cut off my credit...

D

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 5 replies

post a new 2c type topic

karen•º — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 14:05:44 GMT

so our crew likes to invent a new structure most years.... let's have some two sense on the matter. we want something probably 35 ft diameter. and light since we travel from canada. as a tota and complete f-u to bman i say fuck creativity, let's go with a desert tested sure fire model. is it possible to do a 2 frequncy at a 35 [or more] ft diameter out of ... say 1.5"pvc?. experiences? we have in the past done a 25 ft 3 freq conduit fortress and teehee recognized the overkill. anyhoo- a call out for input and advice.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 2 replies

Yurts vs. Domes

chycho — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 17:36:28 GMT

I’m new to the world of alternative shelters and require some advice. I’ve done some preliminary research into Domes and Yurts, trying to figure out which one is better. So far this is what I’ve found out

1) both Yurts and Domes have pro’s and Con’s so its not really correct to say that one is better then the other
2) it looks like Yurts might be a better choice in cooler climates while Domes seem to serve well in hot and dry areas
3) Yurts have a limit (up to this point) on their complexity while Domes have been explored to extreme levels with some crazy and large designs. This is probably because Domes have been in the North American mindset since the 1960’s.
4) Yurts seem to be a more stable structure for a compatibly priced Dome. Of course the high end Dome structures are as stable as they come.
5) Building underground seems to be a bad idea due to mold so that option is out
6) Yurts seem to cost less then Domes but have a smaller following. I’m guessing that this is because they haven’t been around North American as long as Domes
7) The information on how long you can live inside a mid-size Dome or Yurt is hard to come by. Some people seem to believe that both Domes and Yurts are temp shelters while others say they are permanent. Still not clear on this issue

There are a few other issues but that’s some of the main points.

I want to know what people here think. Any major issues I should look at? I’m looking to have a structure up in the Pacific Northwest type of climate (cool and wet with some snow in winters, summer is dryer but still humid, it is a rain Forrest after all). Also looking at a dry sunny region like southern California.

If anyone has any Links that they think I should be reading or suggestions please reply.

Thank you for the help

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 4 replies

Bending PVC pipes into a circle

djeEvil — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 04:23:19 GMT

I bet someone here knows how to do this real easy.

Here is the deal. We are building a 25' tall mushroom art car this year. We are using a 15.5' diameter dome that is made of short PVC pipes.
I need to secure the dome to the top of my mounting scructure. The mounting structure is made schedule 40 1 1/2" aluminum pipe with 1 13' tall center mast and 4X7' tall mounting point that make up the square of the bed of the vehicle.

When the dome sits on the 4 extended mounting poles it sags because there is on support on 4 points on the base of the dome.

My plan is to make a ring out of 1" PVC tube and secure that to the mounting structure and then the dome to the pvc ring.
I need to know what are the best connectors to make a 15.5' diameter ring. The connectors that I bought broke when I was trying to make a circle because they are too small and weak. Where do I buy heavy duty connectors so I can make a circle out of 1" pvc tube.

hopefully someone has an easy fix for this problem.

Cheers

eEvil

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 2 replies

Anyone have a crimper or fly-wheel press from Santa Barbara through LA?

Brennesiology — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 08:08:18 GMT

I'm building a 24' 3v dome for the co-op system here in Isla Vista, by the end of the summer. It was my solution to 100 5' pieces of 3/4 I must have had for this purpose. It's 100 of 165 members, so I figured a couple hundo to give them a dome, use my materials, and work a little more Dharma wouldn't be half bad. I thought I knew a company in town here, who could crimp pipe, because I asked a foreman @ a construction site, who was using the same method for a wood/EMT truss, but the company didn't know what I was talking about when I called. I'm looking for someone who can save me the hand work, if I drive my cut pipes down to them. I grew up in Orange Co., so I can drive past LA, but I think I'll pass, at least, 20 setups to crimp pipe, by the time I get there. Anyone between SB and LA have a crimp setup that I can use for a couple hours, knowing that the project is "not for profit", and will serve ungrateful college students for several years. They don't know what they're missin' until they've got one. Sure, we have fun catalyzing all within our reach. Got crimping tech for reasonable trade or a fair price? Drop me a line personally and here (put yourself on the public map too) and lemmeno if you can help. Best Wishes, and Be Well!

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 6 replies

Keep an eye on this site.

Novysan — Tue, 16 May 2006 20:39:00 GMT

I've been in contact with the distributers and plans are afoot for pre-fab star pattern fittings, perhaps even for different frequencies.

http://www.simplifiedbuilding.com/index.php?cPath=1&osCsid=2aa4d5e3a6b5dfeb3a1766181eff013d

They were at the MAKE:ers Faire and we approached by SEVERAL people about fittings for dome makeing.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 6 replies

Anybody ever use these?

Novysan — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 23:20:19 GMT

http://www.strombergschickens.com/starplate_building_system/starplate_index.htm

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 7 replies

How to calculate domes surface area?

Daiv — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 02:22:56 GMT

Short of counting the triangles, and calculating from there... can someone tell me how to calculate the surface area of a Geodesic dome?

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 3 replies

Dome help

callibug — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 06:35:14 GMT

Hiya fellow domers...
I'm working on a new cover for the playa this year. I have a 3v 23 foot dome and need to do a fitting before you all get to see it on the esplianad...
Here in lies the problem: I live in the Mission of SF... so you can guess how big my back yard is.(teeny) I'm looking for a safe place that I can set the dome up over night and do a fitting- hopefully in the next few weeks or early August. I'm looking for somewhere close- but I can travel a little (east/south bay). Indoors or outdoors or whatever...
Can you help?

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

shaktydome South France

Shakty — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 18:46:25 GMT

feel free to visit the shaktydome artist center in South France!
url www.shaktychuck.com

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 2 replies

Shrink wrap as a covering material for domes!

stove — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 21:21:10 GMT

Have you ever seen a building or bridge, with scaffolding erected around it, and covered in white plastic? That material is called shrink wrap and is sold by Hippwrap in San Diego. It comes in big sheets, is very tough, is very affordable, and is very easy to work with. It is guaranteed to last for 6 months in the sun and regularly lasts 8 -12 months. Definately buy the 12 mil thick stuff. Seams are created by bonding, a process where you heat the overlapping seams with a torch, press them together, and they stick....then you apply a very special proprietary tape, also sold by Hippwrap, that sticks so well you can barely remove it, to make the seams water and dust-proof. The bonding goes very quickly.....much faster than sewing or gluing......and is fairly easy to learn how to get good results. The reflective, white material keeps the temperature down inside during the day. The material is highly flame-retardant, as well.

I created 2 dome covers (30ft. 3V, and 10.5ft. 2V) with this material for Burningman 2005 and my only complaint is the limited UV resistance. It is possible to shrink the cover, once installed, and that would make it tight as a drum, no kidding, but I chose not to shrink it beyond the shrinkage that occured by bonding the seams.......so that the cover would be removable and reinstallable.

Tribe me if you have any questions. You can find Hippwrap on the internet. They are great people and will provide you with this amazing product for a fair price.

Love, Steve

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 10 replies

tensegrity

mike — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 06:11:17 GMT

anyone here into making tensegrity-based structures? i've gotten kind of obsessed, the biggest one i made had 30 struts, it was a nightmare to put together all alone but so satisfying.

maybe this merits its own tribe? i dunno. but i'd love to hear tips and tricks to doing it well...i'm kinda just going trial and error..

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 3 replies

Where to buy domes?

playanaut — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 06:44:46 GMT

I'm finally in the market to buy a dome... too late for Burning Man this year. As always I see lots of fantastic dome structures from 16ft to over 60ft. Where can I start shopping for easy to set-up and break-down domes for next years burn?

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 2 replies

Show and Tell.....

Brennesiology — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 08:25:13 GMT

I just want everyone to take lots of pictures of their or anyone's shade structure of interest. I've got something that typing about seems like masturbation, compared to posting a picture and telling about it; hence: Show and Tell. I just wanna see a lot of pictures of peoples innovations, so that we can all collectively progress our skills. Oh, Hoco, not to do any name dropping, but Mrs. B. Devarco cued me in, 4 years ago, when you first errected your 3-D Time Mag. / postal stamp of a Bucky's Nose...... sounds like a Kafka story. J/K that was a nose in the biscuit. Now, I'm typerbating. I'll stop. I feel all dirty inside; weird. J/K

More Pictures and More Words,
Brennon

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

absurd geodesic projects

hoco — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 03:47:03 GMT

I love 'em! Last year at Burning Man someone made a geodesic face. I personally made a geodesic nose (www.timefold.com/nose) and I uploaded some images to this tribe's photo library.

Have any of you made or heard of other absurd geodesic structures?

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 5 replies

super-simple-5-stick-hoop-dome

magnathree — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 06:16:47 GMT

this is 5 x 30' 1.5" pvc
100' of rope
and 10 pieces of rebar
about 80 bucks in material pre-skinned
it prolly couldnt stand up to major weather but as you can see - its in a forest - so its sheltered already - and its sits pretty well on uneven ground-
its gonna be skinned in whatever i can find to cover it - patchwork like - not totally waterproof - but ill have a huge tarp standing by . . .
its about 18 feet across
ill prolly start putting a skin on it this week -

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 2 replies

emt $?

dragon — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 20:21:33 GMT

hello, im curious as to what you are paying for 3/4" emt?

i just paid 6.90(included tax) per 10 foot length for 35 lenghts. OUCH

nothin is cheap in nyc.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 5 replies

Absolute cheapest shade structur material.

Novysan — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 19:47:33 GMT

My budget is running out. I still need to buy fabric/material of some kind. In all of your collective experience, knowing you get what you pay for, what material will MINIMALLY work for the CHEAPEST price.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 5 replies

Help Needed: first dome attempt

ganucheau — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 01:48:44 GMT

I am about to attempt my first dome construction and I need help. I am aiming for a 30 foot dome. I have never constructed one before but I have helped assemble quite a few. Is there anyone in the who can advise with the planning and purchasing, all the labor will be taken care of.

OR... if any one is interested in building this dome for hire please let me know how much you would charge.

- matt

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 2 replies

Domes for 2005

BadDawg (Chip) — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 20:56:27 GMT

Who's doing what with domes for this coming Burning Man ???

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 8 replies

Advanced Geodesic Dome Question

LostMachine — Thu, 21 Apr 2005 07:37:51 GMT

Advanced Geodesic Dome Question

This summer I plan on building an elliptical geodesic dome.

I based it off an octahedron frequency 5. I stretched my face triangle so that the corners all matched up with a 20 by 30 ellipse. I then projected lines from the center to every intersection on my face triangle.

I used spherical coordinates to find all my points, built an excel spreadsheet to calculate strut lengths, central angles, plotted them in AutoCAD......DOME.

See picture:
http://www.lostmachine.com/images/misc/ellipdome.jpg

Here is my Question.

When I kept the divisions on my equilateral triangle proportionally correct while I manipulated it to fit into the ellipsoid the projections give huge differences in Strut length, varying from 2.5’ in the corners to over 6’ in the middle.

The engineer in me says that if my strut lengths were closer to the same length I’d have a stronger dome. I look at my face triangle and I think I could shrink the triangles near the center and that would help when I do my projection...

So, what is the best way to go about this?

Should I feel responsible for coming up with a relationship for the projected strut lengths and that of the face triangle and then manipulate accordantly?

Is there any written material covering this problem?

I know if I have all my struts the same length, I end up with all my points on a plane. I want to keep the same general curvature but would like more uniform struts.

I’m tempted to simply estimate, pull the inner triangles in and recalculate.

Then there is my other question.

If I do this, is it going to mess with the dome's ability to transfer forces throughout the structure? Is my gain in strength from shorter strut lengths going to be negated by odd angles?

Here is a link to the AutoCAD drawings in you would like to see them.

http://www.lostmachine.com/images/misc/elliptical5vw-tower.dwg

Thanks for the Help.

LM

X-posted to
Mathematics
Dome Home
sacred geometry

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 12 replies

Polyhedra Program

LostMachine — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 20:29:11 GMT

An old link that I just re-looked for someone else, but I thought you guys might like it too.

This is a neat program for discovering and playing with polyhedra. It is a really small download but you will play with it for hours.

http://home.twcny.rr.com/fisheryorks/mfop/mfop.html

LM

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

Some recent links.....

Brennesiology — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 03:43:35 GMT

I spoke with a Professional Engineer out @ The Burn, who was a light-year ahead of everyone else..... as he was using a professional aluminum, actual, hub & strut method, not subject to the shear force on the bolts holding the structure together. I spoke with him yesterday, and got some good links to other professionals:
Mero.com a 40 year old space-frame co. based in Germany
Triodetic.com another 40y/o space-frame co. based in the States & Canada (the company that he was working for, in which produces that specific hub & strut method)
Unistrut.com is another one, but they're small, and they mill down spheres, and then thread them, so just like Pacific, the strength is subject to the shear force on the bolt threads.
Superstructure.com is another site worth checking out.....

The method the engineer used, built a 180' diameter dome over a coal plant in BC. Some books he referenced me to: The Power of Limits and, The Curves of Life. I haven't checked these books myself, but given his light-year ahead of, well, everyone, I'll take it into consideration. His personal site is: www.members.shaw.ca/envisioneering.com, which is well worth checking out; method, form, function, and professionality can all be learned from this man, His name is Mr. Richard Lalonde Happy searching.

P.S. - I wrote this when I saw a lack of entries over the past 1.5 months..... anyone else up to any tinkering? I would love a surprise entry to show up..... Innovate. Create. Hybernate. Ammalgamate!

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 4 replies

dome for sale?

erics — Sun, 18 Jul 2004 07:19:30 GMT

looking for a smallish (16') dome to buy...don't have the time and not real handy, so i don't want to try to make my own...

need it pretty soon for burning man...

I live in Portland Oregon

drop me a line

eric

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 2 replies

Covering a dome

hoco — Mon, 16 Aug 2004 17:10:24 GMT

I've prepared a web page with some diagrams that show one possible way to cover a dome with tarps together with some brief text. This isn't the only way to cover a dome. But it is the method I use.

www.snapsite.com/snapsite/...ts/hoco/public/custom/domecover/domecover.html

If you're thinking of using a parachute, be sure to read this first:

www.snapsite.com/snapsite/...ts/hoco/public/html/page19.html

Thinking of building a dome still? A 1v can be built easily in an afternoon. A 2v is doable in a day if you are handy.

www.snapsite.com/snapsite/...ts/hoco/public/html/page20.html

Covering domes with tarps:
I leave a hole at the top and that allows good ventillation during the day. I have a 10' square tarp I pull on and off with one of its corner ropes to cover the center at night and open it during the day.

Covering a dome requires climbing onto the dome. Step only at verticies -- *never in the middle of a strut* -- and it helps if you aren't wearing tight pants... This is not a job for someone with short legs, but actually, climing on the dome is easy and safe and I have never fallen off or through one. You can even climb on the dome when it has tarps on it. Just step lightly and slide your foot until you feel a vertex, then apply your weight.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 1 reply

dome love

Brian — Fri, 13 Aug 2004 18:39:50 GMT

Hello, my name is Brian and I have a favor to ask any kind souls out there. I am trying to build a conduit dome and my source for tools is being flaky about the whole thing. I know how to build the dome. I just need the tools. I will be happy to compensate for any expenses including replacing saw blades, drill bits, etc. I will also compensate for your kindness in letting me use your equipment. I have a truck, so I can travel anywhere in the Bay Area to work this out. Also, I am extremely flexible on time, and will not need any help from you. I see the approach of BM on the time horizen and hope the universe helps connect me with a tool wielding friend. Much love.
-Brian

P.S. The dome is going to be 3V, about 12' radius, and will be the home of blacklight pingpong on the playa.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 7 replies

dome parts/

justus — Fri, 06 Aug 2004 21:32:30 GMT

i am new to this tribe and new to the world of domes,
i know i should be able to figure this out, but maybe someone
can help me out more quickly.
my friend just scored a dome, the original owner thinks all parts are there;
- these are the parts that we have:
47" = 30 bars
54" = 35
62" = 20
60" = 80
i don't know who manufactured it.
Does anybody have link to send me to, or own a similar dome?
(i know i could just have fun with the parts or re:design it . . .)
any help would be appreciated immensely,
thanks

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 1 reply

doors

dragisak — Fri, 23 Jul 2004 16:02:03 GMT

I am trying to decide how to put a door on my 3v dome.

Here is a modified desertdomes picture that shows 3v dome with 6 bars removed to form an entrance.

http://www.dragishak.com/pix/3v_door.gif

Will this construction be stable ? Where others put their entrance ?

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 1 reply

dome tools needed

Brian — Sat, 17 Jul 2004 15:55:14 GMT

I am trying to build a conduit dome from desertdomes.com for Burningman this year. I live in SF, and would like to find someone in the Bay Area who could allow me use of their tools for a weekend of work. I would be more than happy to compensate whatever was neccessary. Thanks for your help. Much love.
-Brian

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

GENERAL DISCUSSION OF ALL THINGS FULLERIAN

Holden S. — Tue, 23 Mar 2004 22:54:43 GMT

hi, i'm new here. noticing that this tribe has been (so far) rather specifically focused on geodesic design with little or no discussion of Bucky's MANY other interests & accomplishments in diverse fields, i decided to start this thread to remedy that.to get the ball rolling, a relevant link:

http://www.worldgame.org

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 8 replies

Going to Burning Man?

hoco — Sat, 03 Jul 2004 23:40:09 GMT

Camp Nosefish has a few openings for folks who can come early to help us set up and stay late to help us break down. We've requested a spot in the 3:00 plaza, on the grid, as our projects require continuous power. We've historically been granted early access privileges because it takes several days to set up our project, the Desert Nose. The Desert Nose is a geodesic replica of Buckminster Fuller's nose, in which we provide music, seating and a super-efficient human cooling aparatus known as "The Great Unhot."

More info on our camp and its projects can be found at:
www.timefold.com/nosefish

We have a few openings in our camp as some of our regular members are missing Burning Man this year. We have a cap of 12-15 people imposed by BM Org plaza camps. The plaza slices aren't that big and we have two large projects.

Our camp has some great features, including a shade area and a zero-impact shower.

You'd be responsible for bringing your own food and water, and for your own transportation up to BM, but you may get some help with transporting your bike, for example, in our Fishmobile, space and weight permitting.

We need people who are collaborative thinkers and doers and who can come early and stay until the end. We plan to arrive on Aug 24 or 25 and we plan to leave either Mon Sep 6th evening and stay overnight in Reno, or leave Tue Sep 7th morning and drive all the way home.

If you are interested, please check out our web site and contact me via tribe.

Peace,

hoco

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

dome covers?

bevinellen — Wed, 26 May 2004 17:28:23 GMT

a friend and myself are venturing into our first dome building project. what i am curious about now are the coverings. we've ruled out parachutes. what i imagine is something canvas, ideally, and i was hoping that any of ya'll might have some advice on the making of covers. are there patterns out there for the covers? i sure could use some help on turning my 2d imagination into a 3d reality.
i do have a sewing machine.
thank you

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 3 replies

Sturdy dome with 1/2 inch conduit, I think?

bsarsgard — Wed, 16 Jun 2004 18:47:26 GMT

I was hoping for some comments on this dome design I came up with to take to Burning Man. With the high price of conduit these days, I wanted to come up with something sturdy using 1/2", but not too small and most importantly: cheap!

Here's the basic design, thanks to desertdomes.com for the original diagram:
http://img70.photobucket.com/albums/v212/SlightlyMadman/3vdiagram2_door.gif
The measurements are not exact, just working figures I've been using to help me conceptualize.

The main concern I have is whether the door will disrupt the structural integrity.

Any comments?

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 2 replies

Would anyone like a 1-off dome to blow the minds of observers?

Brennesiology — Fri, 11 Jun 2004 09:11:40 GMT

I've been doing some designs more strut lengths, on longer materials, encompassing larger crosses of pipe, having up to 4 punched lengths per 20' or 21'. I work as scrapless as possible, up to five digits if need be, and ensure easier fabrication and assembly than I've ever seen. I've got the design on an 8-frequency that can go up, clean, in 2 hours. Drop a line if you need some simple playa fab, that won't be seen anywhere else. From a 45 strut 20' dome, all the way up past infinity. Simple and to the point (as simple as convoluted can be). I'm not mad, just mis-understood.

Synergetically,
BOK

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

helical structures!

benodell — Tue, 18 May 2004 17:46:18 GMT

check out my friend's new construction system (he built a big one at coachella)

www.tribaloasis.org

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 1 reply

bamboo & geodesics

Jef — Mon, 26 Jan 2004 23:34:35 GMT

Anyone here tried bamboo geodesic structures?

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 3 replies

Dead Bike Frames

hazmattous — Mon, 12 Jan 2004 18:23:06 GMT

I need Dead bike Frames bad!
I need to get a hold of massive amounts of dead bike frames. These are frames too old or junky or stripped from anyone to build back up to a bike. I am trying to build a geodesic dome entirely out of old bike frame tubes so far I have cut up around 35 old bikes but I need more much more. Please help!
-Hazmat

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 2 replies

Buckminster Fuller's nose at Burning Man

hoco — Sat, 03 Apr 2004 17:39:30 GMT

So, you like Buckminster Fuller's ideas? How about his nose?
Several years ago I created a geodesic structure in the shape
of Bucky's nose. I have brought it to Burning Man each year
for the last three years.

There's a web site about this art creation at:

http://www.timefold.com/nose

Two years ago, Bucky's great-granddaughter came to Burning Man
and found me in the Desert Nose. In a short conversation she
confided that she was blown away that she was sitting inside a
geodesic replica of her great grandfather's nose. Um, perhaps
a poor choice of words, but she did enjoy it. ;-)

You might too. If you go to Burning Man, we are trying to
return to the 3:00 plaza again this year.

What's inside? Well, we have a giant fan, and several
industrial sprayers. We put people in front of the fan and
spray them with water and steal all their excess body heat.
Most people have had enough after about 20 seconds. We call
the effect a "coolgasm."

Also inside is a lot of seating and a steady supply of thoughtful chill-space music.

My camp and I set up the nose, and then spend all week
heckling hot people and getting them to come in and get cooled
off. I think Bucky would have been pleased. :-)

Peace,

Howard

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

ooh. buckymap

jeremiah — Wed, 03 Mar 2004 08:07:46 GMT

http://brainoff.com/geoblog/dymaxion.html

FWIW, if you have MacOS X, I built an interactive dymaxion map application. Ask and ye shall receive. :-)

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

a nice hyper-link article.....

Brennesiology — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 20:41:23 GMT

If you get the time, check out "Invisible Architecture" by Bonnie DeVarco by searching google. It's the most comprehensive hyper-link article on Bucky's world, as she managed 45 tons of his archives for over a dodecade. She's connected enough to pick up the phone, call Kroto in Sussex and ask what their up to with C60 today. Her piece is well worth reading.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

a nice hyper-link article.....

Brennesiology — Thu, 15 Jan 2004 20:41:16 GMT

If you get the time, check out "Invisible Architecture" by Bonnie DeVarco by searching google. It's the most comprehensive hyper-link article on Bucky's world, as she managed 45 tons of his archives for over a dodecade. She's connected enough to pick up the phone, call Kroto in Sussex ans ask what their up to with C60 today. Her piece is well worth reading.

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 0 replies

Sphereical vehicles

hazmattous — Mon, 12 Jan 2004 18:18:28 GMT

Hi I'm Hazmat
My main interest in Geodesics is creating sphereical vehicles. Right now I am working on a simple geodesic vehicle that incorporates a 4-V sphere 7.5 ft diameter with an expanded metal mesh skined on the inside of the struts. This mesh provides a "see-through" yet structural surface for a vehicle to drive on inside the ball. The vehicle I propose to use in this sphere will be a three wheeled vehicle two wheels steer and one wheel to drive the vehicle. The vehicle will drive the sphere by driving up the inside walls of the sphere using it's weight and power to basically roll the sphere around. I am hoping that at high speeds sudden stops will allow one to perform rolls and flips inside the sphere! Safety features will consist of idler wheels on casters that will act as a roll bar, and four pt. racing harness's for the two riders.
The Sphere is already built complete with Expanded metal skin.
I currently need...
-Motorcycle engine around 200 cc
-Racing seats harnesses
-Pneumatic tire type rotating casters or pneumatic tire front ends from old kid's kick scooters. (several!)

This is my first project involving geodesic vehicles and hopefully not my last I would appreciate any help in gathering materials. An exchange could be worked out. I cannout pay outright for things unless they are cheap! However I can build any size or frequency Dome/Sphere one may need. I can also build or fix many things.
-Hazmat

posted in Geodesic Design Group - 1 reply

Geodesic Design Group's topics - tribe.net

PreFab Star Joints?

woohoo

WHAT ABOUT TETRAHEDRONS ?

post apopo domer's

Geodesic cylinder?

DIY Dome Lifter

Building a bennndy dome

Lights and Sound in a dome

Raising a big dome

cardboard domes

What about pyramids?

Anyone looking for a new dome frame?

BM 2007 Lessons learned?

swedish covering

Wild Domes

weight on the top of a dome?

Help us get our art car to the playa!!!

Covering the dome...

DomeBuilders.net and my dome projects

stake length

Seeds of peace in the middle east?

dome covers

easiest billboard vinyl covering ideas?

Mobile Dome

3v 5/8ths revealed!

Parachute for Sale (Dome Covering).....

20ft diameter 2 V geodesic sphere in a tree???????????

Bill Woods' DynaDome connector

OT ~ Radical Backpacking

PVC 2v octahedral dome

Large Permanent Dome - Materials / Construction?

Looking for discussion partners and resources re: Geodesic

What's everybody here for?

bucky ball in the trees

dome failure

Where the hell do you buy your materials?

Covering a dome

Living in a Geodome Year Round?

56 ft diameter 5V dome for sale

Domecountry Crossword challenge

nosefish dome deck

Looking for a machine press

bamboo dome for b-man

post a new 2c type topic

Yurts vs. Domes

Bending PVC pipes into a circle

Anyone have a crimper or fly-wheel press from Santa Barbara through LA?

more dome covering questions

Keep an eye on this site.

Anybody ever use these?

How to calculate domes surface area?

Dome help

shaktydome South France

Shrink wrap as a covering material for domes!

tensegrity

Where to buy domes?

Show and Tell.....

absurd geodesic projects

super-simple-5-stick-hoop-dome

emt $?

Absolute cheapest shade structur material.

Help Needed: first dome attempt

Domes for 2005

Advanced Geodesic Dome Question

Polyhedra Program

Some recent links.....

dome for sale?

Covering a dome

dome love

dome parts/

doors

dome tools needed

GENERAL DISCUSSION OF ALL THINGS FULLERIAN

Going to Burning Man?

dome covers?

Sturdy dome with 1/2 inch conduit, I think?

Would anyone like a 1-off dome to blow the minds of observers?

helical structures!

bamboo & geodesics