DOMES

RASHI JAIN
BARC1516
SEM 7
 ● Domes are prominent features of Persian,
Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, and Italian
INTRODUCTION ●
Renaissance design.
The ‘Building Construction Handbook’ describes
domes as: ‘Double curvature shells which can
be rotationally formed by any curved
geometrical plane figure rotating about a central
vertical axis.’
● In its simplest form, a dome is a hollow
hemispherical structural element.
● Domes evolved from arches, originally being
adapted only to small buildings such as huts
and tombs.
● However, as construction and design
techniques developed, they became more
popular as a means of showcasing grand
structures such as cathedrals, legislative
buildings and, more recently, leisure buildings
such as sports stadia.
● Domes became famous because they are self-
supporting structures.
ELEMENTS OF 1.
2.
CUPOLA
COFFERS- may not be there in all

DOME 3.
4.
LANTERN- may not be there in all
OCULUS
5. PENDENTIVE
6. ROTUNDA
7. SQUINCH
8. DRUM
CUPOLA A cupola is a small structure located on top of a
building’s dome. It is common for cupolas to have a
round or square bases, but they may also be
polygonal.Modern cupolas are mostly ornamental
architectural features crowning the main roof,
sometimes providing a position for a flag, religious
symbol, weather vane, and so on.

LANTERN A day lighting element

OCULUS
An oculus (from Latin oculus, 'eye') is a circular
opening in the center of a dome.

COFFERS A coffer is a series of sunken panels in the shape of a

square, rectangle, or octagon in a ceiling, soffit or
vault. Structurally, it lightens the ceiling as less
concrete or other materials are needed for its
construction.
PENDENTIVE
A pendentive is a constructive device permitting the
placing of a circular dome over a square room or an
elliptical dome over a rectangular room.

ROTUNDA
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan,
and sometimes covered by a dome.
SQUINCH
A squinch is a wedge that fits on the top corners of a
square space.

DRUM A tholobate or drum is the upright part of a building on

which a dome is raised. It is generally in the shape of
a cylinder or a polygonal prism.
MATERIALS

BRICK

BAMBOO

CONCRETE

PREFABRICATED
SHEETS
METAL
 TIMBER

GLASS

CAST IRON
DETAILS
DETAILS
TYPES 1.
2.
Corbel
Cross-arched
3. Geodesic
4. Onion
5. Oval
6. Saucer
7. Umbrella
CORBEL DOMES ● Also called a beehive dome, or false dome,
these are different from a 'true dome' in that
they consist of purely horizontal layers.
● As the layers get higher, each is slightly
cantilevered, or corbeled, toward the center until
meeting at the top.
GEODESIC DOMES A geodesic dome is a hemispherical thin-shell
structure (lattice-shell) based on a geodesic
polyhedron. The triangular elements of the dome are
structurally rigid and distribute the structural stress
throughout the structure, making geodesic domes
able to withstand very heavy loads for their size.

A geometric dome supports itself without needing

internal columns or interior load-bearing walls. This
property makes such structures appealing for use as
churches, sports arenas, and exhibition halls.
Geodesic domes are efficient structures in several
ways.

● The triangle is a very stable shape; for example,

a force applied to the corner of a rectangle can
deform it into a parallelogram, but the same
force will not deform a triangle. This makes
geodesic dome buildings highly resistant to
such forces as snow coverings, earthquakes,
wind, and even tornadoes.
● Geodesic domes can be constructed quickly
without heavy equipment.
● Movable structures may be built of polyvinyl
chloride (PVC) pipe or galvanized steel conduit
frames covered with plastic sheeting or
parachute canopies.
● Large, permanent structures like arenas and
factories have been built from materials like
aluminum and steel frame struts covered with
aluminum, copper, structural gypsum, acrylic.
● Geodesic Domes insulate very efficiently and
because of its unique shape, light actually
refracts and stays inside the dome longer than
other types of greenhouses. This feature
amplifies winter lighting and also takes full
advantage of solar gain, which means less
artificial lighting in colder regions.
CROSSED-ARCH ● Rather than meeting in the center of the dome,
the ribs characteristically intersect one another

DOME off-center, forming an empty polygonal space in

the center.
● Geometry is a key element of the designs, with
the octagon being perhaps the most popular
shape used.
● Whether the arches are structural or purely
decorative remains a matter of debate.
ONION DOMES ● These domes are characterised by the way they
bulge out beyond their base diameters and
taper smoothly in an ogee (S-curve) profile.
● Their height usually exceeds their width and
they are often gilded or brightly painted.
● These are traditionally associated with Russian
architecture, in particular their multi-domed
churches.
OVAL DOME An oval dome is a dome of oval shape in plan, profile,
or both.
SAUCER DOME A dome having the form of a segment of a sphere,
with the center well below the springing line; a shallow
dome.
UMBRELLA DOME ● These are a type of dome divided at the base
into curved segments, which follow the curve of
the elevation.
● The "ribs" of a dome are the radial lines of
masonry that extend from the crown down to
the springing.
ADVANTAGES 1. High on visual impact and in most cases is both
strong and durable.
2. Require less maintenance.
3. Having a dome shaped structure integrated with
the foundation and floor, works to strengthen
the entire structure as a unit and, therefore,
makes the dome highly resistant to earthquake
damage.
4. A sphere encloses the greatest volume for the
least surface area.

1. Requires skilled labour.

2. Requires more scaffolding.
3. Dome requires more material, so, more volume,
so it takes more time for heating and cooling.
DISADVANTAGES
WORLD’S LARGEST https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBxKUNEzDD4&t
=2s

DOME
THANKYOU