ARCH 413

Building Technology 5-
Alternative Building Construction System
GEODESIC STRUCTURE

Prepared by: Ar. Joseph Ty Macario, uap

WHAT IS A GEODESIC STRUCTURE?
 DOME
A vaulted structure having a circular plan and usually the
form of a portion of a sphere, so constructed as to exert an
equal thrust in all directions.
TYPES
RADIAL DOME

A dome built on steel or timber

trusses arranged in a radial manner
and connected by polygonal rings
at various heights.
SCHWEDLER DOME

A steel dome structure having

members that follow the lines of
latitude and longitude, and a third
set of diagonals completing the
triangulation.
LATTICE DOME

A steel dome structure having

members that follow the circle of
latitude, and two sets of diagonals
replacing the lines of longitude and
forming a series of isosceles
triangles.
GEODESIC DOME

A steel dome having members that

follow three principal sets of great
circles intersecting at 60º,
subdividing the dome surface into a
series of equilateral spherical
triangles.
 GEODESIC DOME
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. It was developed in the 20th century by American engineer and
architect R. Buckminster Fuller.
WHO IS R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER?
R. Buckminster Fuller
(1895- 1983)

• a renowned 20th century inventor

and visionary

• American architect and engineer

• used principles of tension rather than

the usual compression

• pioneered solutions that reflected the

potential of innovative design to
create technology that does "more
with less".
Montreal Biosphere
Quebec, Canada
WHY WAS THE GEODESIC DOME
INVENTED?
R. Buckminster Fuller spent much of the early 20th Century looking for
ways to improve human shelter by:

 Applying modern technological know-how to shelter construction.

 Making shelter more comfortable and efficient.
 Making shelter more economically available to a greater number of
people.
IMPROVE HUMAN SHELTER
END