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Geodesic Domes at Kibbutz Lotan

Round About Re-inventions

Q. How many inventors does it take to build a geodesic dome?
A. 3. One to do the math, one to put the pieces together, and one to realize that it's all been done before…

In various places around Lotan guests encounter one of the strongest, simplest, easy-to-build structures you can find in nature… Yet, it took the mathematical wizardry and creative determination of 2 designers -- Walter Bauersfeld in Germany in 1922 and inventor-guru R. Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller in the United States in the 1950's -- to bring domes back into the world of modern construction.

Lotan domes are an experiment in sustainable architecture. Pieces of irrigation-pipe connect 250 date-palm branches (a local, renewable resource) in a pattern of 136 triangles; and a covering of interwoven creepers and vines protects visitors from the hot, desert sun.

When Bucky Fuller discovered that he could create a sphere by arranging triangles of various sizes in a special pattern, he believed he had found the answer to the problem of global housing. Dressed in suit and tie, Bucky attracted a following of hippy youth, science fanatics, math geniuses, and political planners with the promise of his GEODESIC DOMES.

Like all spheres, the geodesic sphere is efficient: it encloses more space per unit of surface area than any other 3 dimensional shape. Having less surface area means that spheres -- or parts of spheres, domes -- require fewer building materials and that they are less likely to be damaged by high winds, rain, or sand storms. Less surface area also means that there is less wall space through which heat can escape, so domes tend to stay warmer and waste less energy than rectangular buildings.

What sets geodesic spheres apart from other spheres is their super-strength. Because they are made up of triangles, geodesic spheres are among the strongest, most stable built structures that exist. And, unlike conventional buildings that grow shakier as they grow taller, domes get stronger and more stable as they get bigger!

Useful Alternative Building links

• Life in a dome
• To go back to the Alternative Building index page
  
• To go to the Straw Bale Construction page
  
• To view the 'Tires n' Trash' page
  
• Read Lotan's latest eco update (July 2002)

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Contact Lotan Center for Creative Ecology

Leah Zigmond
lotan-ecocenter@lotan.ardom.co.il
Tel: +972 8 6356811; +972 8 6356935; +972 54 9799024
Toll free (while in Israel): 1800 2000 75