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Date Posted: 20:28:09 12/22/02 Sun
Author: PNH
Subject: Buckminster Fuller, while visionary, isn't the end-all-be-all

Petey here.

Dome homes, like the three pictured on this site, were/are touted for their low structural-mass-to-enclosed-volume ratio. They are quite strong, fairly energy-efficient, definitely eye-catching, and, yes, you can get "more house" for your money.

Here are the overlooked downfalls to dome homes:
1) they have hundreds of small, individual rooflines. Therefore if not meticulously constructed and maintained, they leak water like a colander. Even if meticulously constructed and maintained, they'll still leak some.
2) the extra volume that one gains is offset by the fact that you have to waste much of it since it's an odd interior shape that's hard to subdivide.
3) they are nigh impossible to modify or add on to once completed because of the resulting compound angles and curves.
4) the supposed efficient use of building materials is offset by having to cut equilateral triangles out of rectangular sheets of plywood, leaving substantial waste.
5) doors and windows weaken the structure and also leak because of the odd angles they create.
6) the dome shape turns the house into an effective whispering gallery. Just think: unexpected company drops by and lingers and you excuse yourself to pinch a quick loaf... they'll hear both your farts *and* your muffled grunts. or Mom and Dad visit for the holidays and get to hear you and your wife making their precious grandbabies.

The above information is according to "How Buildings Learn" by Stuart Brand. Brand also edited the lauded "Whole Earth Catalog" series from the 1960s and 70s which, humorously, promoted the use of dome homes for the flower children. Also in Brand's book there is mention of a similar short-lived alternative building craze in the mid-1800s, started by Orson Fowler(a phrenologist), which touted the benefits of OCTAGONAL houses. His book was entitled "A House For All". Only a few of the more opulent specimens of octagonal houses still exist, preserved as glaring curiosities. I know of none that are in Kentucky.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

Until next time...

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