4 ms·

The Barbapapa family built their house like this in the 70's as well: https://live.staticflickr.com/1787/42134502335_045815b1ee_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr

• jacquesm 5y ago
  I'm pretty sure if I dig back enough I'll be able to find stuff from the 60's with rapid dome construction based on styrofoam and concrete in it. It is definitely an interesting way to construct things, I know of a company that uses styrofoam loaded concrete for the fabrication of window frames for brick houses and there are probably a lot of other current applications for that. Domes have - since Buckminster Fuller, really - been built from all kinds of materials, this is one of the more interesting combinations because it at least does away with all of the nasty seems at nasty angles that a 'normal' geodesic dome has. But some of the problems remain: windows and doors will always require either a special panel or be a bad match for the rest of the dome. The floorplan will pretty much ensure that there aren't any right angles anywhere, so furniture such as bookcases and such (but hey, who needs books... ok, wardrobes) will have to be custom made or placed inefficiently, or all around the center of the dome where they will have a big impact on light. It's a super elegant concept, but it has problems. I built a small (8 meter diameter) dome in Canada as a spot to sit near the river that ran through our property, we didn't really get around to finishing it (just foil over wood & steel) but it blended in nicely, in a way that very little other buildings would and for that reason alone I'd love to build another one here in NL. But the problems with the shape have so far withheld me from doing it. It might also work well as an office. https://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/the-restoration-of-buckminster-fullers-dome-home-kicks-off-saturday_o https://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/the-restoration... Higher number of panels will approximate the dome shape better, will be easier to put up by a single individual, but will also cause more length of seam and hence more chance of springing a leak or rot in case of woodwork in the panels.
  • Tossrock 5y ago
    I like the "smart, but not wise" quote from Kahn in regards to their utility as permanent living spaces. When everything in our material culture is built around straight lines and right angles, domes just don't use space well. But for temporary structures that don't need interior walls or substantial furniture, they work great. Also, 8m is pretty big in my eyes - I've made two geodesic domes, one 3v 24' (~7.3m) diameter and one 4v 32' (~9.7m) diameter, and even the 24' was a pretty decent bit of work to fabricate and assemble.
    • jacquesm 5y ago
      Hm, when you put it that way, yes, it wasn't really small but the intent was to make it a spot where you could sleep with a couple of people in some comfort if you wanted to, not something garden shed sized. Agreed on the temporary spaces that don't need interior walls, the carrying capacity of a geodesic dome frame is incredible relative to the weight of the materials that are used to put it up. You could hang a couple of hundred kilos from the central joint in the top of the frame and the frame itself was constructed with nothing but 2x4s. I was a bit skeptical about the strength prior to that but afterwards I was totally sold on the concept strength wise. Seeing is believing I guess :)
      • Tossrock 5y ago
        Best way to sleep in comfort in a dome is to take advantage of the crazy strength and hang hammocks!
        • jacquesm 5y ago
          Yes, absolutely.
• beamatronic 5y ago
  Barbapapa's Ark seems like the inspiration for Wall-E
• ragebol 5y ago
  I imagine the builders of inflated balloon house going are saying 'hub hub' all the time
  • jacquesm 5y ago
    I'd imagine the original inventor has been dead for decades.