By: Amal and

Vibhu
 What is a Geodesic
Dome?

• It is a “spherical form in
which lightweight
triangular or polygonal
facets consisting of
either skeletal struts or
flat planes, largely in
tension, replace the
arch principle and
distribute stresses
within the structure
itself.”
 The first dome that could be called "geodesic" in every respect was
designed after World War I by Walther Bauersfeld for
a planetarium.

History of the Some 20 years later, R. Buckminster Fuller named the dome
Geodesic "geodesic" from field experiments with artist Kenneth
Snelson at Black Mountain College in 1948 and 1949.
Dome
Although Fuller was not the original inventor, he is credited with
the U.S. popularization of the idea for which he received U.S.
Patent 2,682,235A on 29 June 1954. The oldest surviving dome
built by Fuller himself is in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and was
built by students under his tutelage over 3 weeks in 1953.
Disadvantages
• Wastage of Materials
• Fire Escapes are a problem
• Electrical wiring is expensive
• Very difficult to renovate
• Does not allow full optimization of wall space
 Advantages

• Energy Efficiciency: covering

the most living area with
the least amount of surface
area.
• Very strong and stable:
almost disaster-proof
• Is naturally good at
insulation
• Quick assembly time
Math Behind it
• Geodesic domes don't have one canonical form, but the most popular is
based on an icosahedron whose triangular faces are then subdivided into
smaller triangles. An icosahedron has twenty faces, each of which is an
equilateral triangle and therefore all of the triangles are the same size.
• Triangles are structurally very strong. If you lean on one of the corners of a
triangle made from three pipes bolted together, the only way it can
collapse is if one of the pipes actually buckles or if a nut completely breaks.
It's much stronger than a rectangle
• The force put into a corner of a triangle is directly transmitted to the base
of the triangle. Since an icosahedron is made up of triangles, the force is
distributed throughout the shape.
Rectangles when force is
exerted upon them

Icosahedron
Uses