Better domes
and gardens
a m.
Geodesic domes have a “very high structural performance as accomplished with only
3 percent of the weight of any given material necessary to produce equivalent
structural and functional capabilties by any other known systems," says the man most
often credited with the invention, R Buckminster Fuller.
Geodesic dome has vaulted into popularity
Birds do it. Bees do it Why can’t we do it?
Actually, there’s no reason why we can't. After all,
insects, cavemen, Eskimos and medieval Irish monks
have been doing it in various forms for thousands of
years — living in geodesic domes, that is.
According to Webster, a geodesic dome is "a
domed or vaulted structure of lightweight straight
elements that form interlocking polygons."
If that definition doesn't do the trick, all sorts of
nicknames transmit the imagery of such dwellings —
Molotov mushroom, bubblegum beehive, lunar lumps,
polymer puffballs and humanoid terrariums, to name a
few
There are two prime reasons why a person might
want to live in a geodesic dome One is that they can be
cheaper to build and maintain The other reason is more
"spiritual.”
According to R Buckminster Fuller, the man gen
erally credited with transforming domes into a practical
alternative to conventional dwellings, geodesic homes
Bonnie Schroder is silhouetted near a window in her dome. "It's a
great place to meet or meditate. There's something about a dome
that gives out a very special, spiritual energy," she says.
have a very high structural performance as
accomplished with only 3 percent of the
weight of any given material necessary to
produce equivalent structural and func
tional capabilties by any other known sys
tems.”
Energy bills can be reduced sharply
because it takes less energy to heat and
cool a spherical home than the traditional
rectangular-box design Savings can
amount to one-half or two-thirds of a con
ventional home with the same square
footage
For Barbara, a young mother living on
welfare in Eugene, a geodesic dome was a
way for her to reconcile desire with reality
"I'm a 25-year-old woman with a kid
and not much income The thought of
having my own homd intrigued me,” says
Barbara, who asked that her real name not
be used for fear that welfare authorities
would try to take her dome
"This is the one way I can have my own
house without it costing an arm and a leg
and without someone else telling me what I
can and can t do with it If I want to punch a
hole in the wall and put in a window, there's
nobody to tell me I can t ”
Barbara bought her dome for S150 from
a man near Dexter who had several on his
property and wanted to clear the land for
other purposes But she has been unable so
far to find someone who will allow her to
move the dome on his or her land In
exchange for labor
T want to live in the woods, near a
stream, basically hippie style,” says
Barbara
Even though her structure Is "illegal as
hell" because it doesn't meet the minimum state codes
for wiring and plumbing, she thinks the modifications
could be made cheaply
The dome is 18 feet wide and 18 feet tall It is a
"split-level" home with a loft for the bedroom. Shingles
help it blend more naturally into the woods, and she
plans to add a skylight and stained glass windows to
give it a more lived-in look
Although the building can be assembled and
disassembled at will, it can be a tedious process
Barbara figures it will take her a week to take it down
and another two weeks to set it up once she finds a
suitable site
Portions of the building, cut at specific angles in
hexagonal and pentagonal shapes, are pieced together
by bolts and resilient graphite plastic piping
Even if she does find a place for her dome, Barbara
runs the risk of being evicted unless she invests enough
money to meet state building codes But that threat
doesn t seem to bother her
"Well. I'll tell them it's a workroom It's legal as a
shed," Barbara says "And if they wonder why I have a
bed inside there, I can say well, this is a workroom, and
sometimes I get tired of working ' "
Bonnie Schreder, of west Eugene, has a similar
18-foot dome in her backyard She couldn't be more
pleased with it
We bought it not so much as a novelty as an extra
house for guests and for meetings," says Schreder
"The energy created inside the dome because of its
circular configuration is very high It's a great place to
meet or meditate There's something about a dome that
gives out a very special, spiritual energy
"It really creates a very nice building I don't know
how else to describe it," Schreder says "I think that
almost anyone you talk to that has a geodesic dome will
tell you there's a very nice feeling about it "
Story by Sean Meyers
Photos by Bob Baker