7 Instant Domes
- They can be specially designed
2to be erected and taken down easily.
- They can be air-lifted to the site complete.
- They can unfold from a smaller configuration, like a flower.
34Here's an example of each method. Other chapters have more. Portable shelter is a major feature of Bucky’s '‘One Town World. ’’
5Students at Washington University, St. Louis, MO, ready their bundled, air-deliverable,‘‘Flying Seedpod Dome’’ for quick deployment.
6
Fig. 7-1
7 
Each ball-jointed vertex is fitted with a pneumatic actuating cylinder charged with air
at 200 pounds per square inch. They tighten a cable net that pulls the dome into
shape.
9 Fig. 7-3
1011A pull on the control lanyard (plus a bit of manual encouragement) erects the 42-foot (12.8-meter) diameter dome in less than a minute. Plans called for a tightly tensioned fabric skin to be hung from the geodesic framework. Earth anchors completed the installation. (Anchors are always necessary on any dome) Folding is not as quick and easy, but is still remarkably fast for a structure of this size.
14 Bucky gleefully watches an aircraft carrier’s elevator bring a 36-foot diameter dome to the flight deck. It will be airlifted by helicopter to a new airstrip being established on land. The scheme worked well, though the initial flight must have been harrowing to Bucky and his colleagues—and of course, to the brave pilot who first tried it.
1516A U.S. Marine Corps helicopter makes off with a 36-foot (I I-meter) diameter geodesic dome at 60 knots (III kmh), fulfilling Bucky’s dream of delivering complete structures directly from factory to site. Domes behave very well while being heli-towed, making air delivery a reasonable and economical possibility for instant shelter. Bucky’s students developed the first ones to fly.
17
Fig. 7-5
19 Uh-oh. Bucky strongly advocated learning by experience, and occasionally, the lesson was a hard one.This foil-coated-cardboard Marine Corps dome reportedly became involved in rotor down-wash from the helicopter that was attempting to place it gently on the site. Another account leaves out the helicopter, and asserts that a wind gust caught the dome before it was properly anchored. A third source tells of torrential rain softening the dome into terminal mush. All versions agree that nobody was hurt (at least not physically). When experiments fail, flourishing rumors diffuse blame, permitting the work to continue.
21 Fig. 7-7
22 Fig. 7-8
2324These I OO-foot (30.5-meter) international trade fair domes were specially designed for fast (two-day) erection and take-down by unskilled local labor wherever they appeared. Simple design, color-matched parts, and picture-book instructions ensured correct assembly regardless of language or literacy. The fabric skin was pulled into a taut, non-flapping, hyperbolic paraboloid (‘‘hy-par’’) contour at each hub, giving the solid feel of a permanent structure. As the domed U.S. rade pavilions traveled to many countries, Buck/s name became known worldwide.
26 As nomads have known for centuries, round shelters use the least material, are lightest, strongest, and withstand extreme weather.The North Face company was the first to exploit the structural advantages of true geodesic geometry in camping tents.These three photographs show several early prototypes being demonstrated to a very pleased Bucky Fuller.
27 Fig. 7-9
30 This North FaceVE 25 geodesic 4-season tent is in current production. With a 48-square-foot (6-square-meter) floor area, and a 52-inch (132-cm) height, the tent handles three people and their gear. It packs into a stuff-sack 8 inches in diameter by 28 inches long (20 cm x 71 cm). Weight: 9 pounds, 4 ounces (4.2 kg). Larger models may be available on special order. North Face geodesic tents are often employed on expeditions where terrible weather is expected.
34 Fig. 7-11 (a-d)
35 Pull outwards on the base, and the diameter of Chuck Hoberman’s beautifully articulated geodesic dome expands from 4.5 feet (1.37 meters) to 18 feet (5.48 meters). Squeeze the base inwards to shrink the dome back to its original size.The dome expands as a growing turtle’s shell does—enlarging the hexagons and pentagons, not by adding triangles.
36 Its shape, connectivity, and stability remain the same throughout the transformation. Hoberman’s complex computer analysis and cleverly machined detailing make folding domes practical at last A model sphere using this principle is available, see Appendix B.