Global Ecovillage Network/Solution Library/Geodesic domes

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Affordable housing, natural building materials, waste, land usage.

Geodesic domes are simple to build, relatively cheap, beautiful to be in, and can be used as a little house, studio, greenhouse or gathering space of any kind.

Geodesic Domes are simple to build, relatively cheap, beautiful to be in, and can be used as a little house, studio, greenhouse or gathering space of any kind. The geodesic shape was developed by Buckmister Fuller, and is made up of triangles. It can be built as a whole ball or a half ball (a dome).

There are different kinds of geodesic domes, depending on the length of their poles. The dome has many advantages:

1. Easy to build yourself.
2. Very strong structure, in fact, the bigger you build your dome, the stronger it will be (unlike other structures).
3. Architectural efficiency, save on building materials.

The domes are also used around the world as huge greenhouses. So how do you build a geodesic dome?

• Choose the material for your poles (iron, bamboo, PVC, etc).
• Choose the size of your dome and use a dome calculator (see link below).
• To see how big your poles need to be. As a cover, you can use all kinds of materials
• Have a look at the links below for detailed 'how to' manuals.

• Green Building.

• Sharing & Collaboration.