Thinking Outside The Box With Geodesic Domes

Geodesic domes were introduced to the world at a time when concrete houses were the norm. People limited themselves to associating houses with these painfully expensive structures that were time consuming, inefficient in energy use and widely unaffordable. It took one man- Robert Buckminister Fuller to challenge the status quo by introducing the concept of doing more with less. He developed the geodesic domes that changed the way people perceived housing.

Triangles Are Stronger Than Rectangles

Box structures that represent most of contemporary homes relied on rectangles for strength. One brought up in a typical home setting would be forgiven for thinking that rectangles are indeed the strongest structures. The truth of the matter however, is that triangles are indeed much stronger than rectangles. They distribute weight throughout the entire structure of an object as opposed to rectangles which distribute weight at right angles. This triangular rigidity is what gives geodesic dome homes double the strength of contemporary homes.

Concrete Is Not The Only Component Suitable For Making Houses

Concrete has been preferred to alternative building components such as wood from time immemorial because of its resistance to rust, rot and burn. Builders therefore settled into a comfort zone since concrete solved most of their concerns.  They however ignored cost, which is one of the factors taken into consideration by prospective home owners. Geodesic dome homes use magnesium oxide, an alternative to concrete. Magnesium oxide is similar to concrete in that it repels rust and rot and is incombustible. However, it has the added advantage of being relatively cheaper and significantly lighter.

You Can Enclose More Space With Less Material

Perhaps the most enduring of all Bucky's philosophies is that of doing more with less. Geodesic designs are used to form large enclosed spaces using relatively lesser building material. That is why a dome is considered the structure with the highest ratio of enclosed area to external surface area. What's more? The larger the enclosed area, the stronger and lighter the geodesic dome is. A geodesic dome therefore gets stronger and lighter as its size increases.

We Do Not Have To Accept Energy Inefficiency

Contemporary homes accentuated the status quo of believing that homes cannot get any more energy efficient. Geodesic domes were introduced to the modern world by Bucky in the 20^th century to not only solve housing problems but to also increase sensitivity to energy efficiency. The word sunk in to most people especially in the United States in the last three decades of the 20^th century. People began falling back to their old ways and ignoring concepts of energy efficiency in the epoch of the dot com generation.

However, the concerns about global warming have again spurred people to think of ways to increase energy efficiency. It is no surprise therefore that more and more people are interested in geodesic domes for their energy efficiency. Geodesic dome homes are known to double the energy efficiency experienced by owners of contemporary homes.

Geodesic domes certainly help people to think outside the box. Bucky immersed himself into improving the world and gave us the gift of geodesic domes. Owners of geodesic dome homes attest to the fact that living in geodesic dome homes trigger creativity. Think outside the box!