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  • Writer's pictureRaju

Adorable Domes have the advantage of being the most stable natural shape

Updated: Mar 19, 2022



Are domes stable?

Many Dome house visitors have this question and unfounded fear of whether the dome will collapse on them

We understand your concerns and questions very well. This is not the first time we have come across these questions

A new Mason working on a dome has the fear of the structure collapsing on him. Few days later he is confident of throwing his weight on the edges of the dome fearlessly and adding more rings layer by layer.



Why do we need Dome Houses #domehouse and live a dome life #Domelife instead of conventional construction?


Do you remember the sand houses we made in minutes as kids? What made it stand?


Domes existed as a shape before evolution of mankind. A dome stands due to gravity and not against it to begin with...more about structural and shape advantages below:




  1. It is a remarkably stable structure, several ancient monuments which are dome shaped have withstood the test of time over centuries. Having been constructed with several material types - mud, stone, brick, wood, snow, etc they remain stable as they are more durable to natural wear and tear. In India The Taj Mahal and Gol Gumbaz are large dome structures

  2. It encloses maximum space for the least amount of effort and building materials required to construct. Though it requires unique skills and experience. There are no angles or corners, obviating the need for a column.

  3. The load is evenly distributed in all directions. There is no part which is under any extraordinary stress

  4. A Dome is a light weight structure, more stable than conventional buildings to withstand an earthquake. Each layer of the dome is self supportive and stable during construction. It does not require scaffolding supports as it progresses from wall to roof

  5. A dome is also more aerodynamic and withstands high turbulence winds and hurricanes. There is not enough flat area on any part of the dome to offer resistance to high winds.

  6. Dome is energy efficient with better air circulation inside due to lack of corners and a ceiling gas exchange window. Temperature is even throughout inside and also more moderate irrespective of the temperature outside. A sphere has the least surface area for a given volume capacity of space, so there is less exposure to cold or heat

  7. Acoustic R Value is high and provides good noise isolation with great acoustics inside

  8. Domes have been built to represent political power, spiritual centers, civilian pride buildings as well. Huge stadiums, churches, Planetariums are dome shaped as they are inherently structurally stable

  9. Future space colonies will be Dome based structures. NASA has designed a colony on Moon with dome structures

  10. Having no corners makes it Vaastu compliant

  11. Spiritual journeys can go into deeper pathways in a dome structure

  12. Many Hard hitting sports are played on spheres - football, cricket. There is a stability and no deformation advantage. A military grade man made weaponry disaster resistant dome can be built on the surface without going underground or inside a mountain. It is the strongest 3d natural shape

  13. Domes are eco friendly consuming less material. More so when the bricks are made from fly ash, reducing pollution.

Simply look around you and you will find that a dome is the most stable, durable and natural structure. A Dome is undoubtedly 'the structure' for the future across time and space


Any surprise why an egg is circular and not a cube? Why is it elliptical? Something needs to come out eventually from the weak spot!

Any surprise why Earth, Moon and celestial structures are spherical?


To summarise: A reasonable initial cost of construction with #Ecofriendly #fewermaterial, #speedofconstruction, #energyefficient low cost maintenance later, #disasterresistant, #thermalcomfort, #spirituallyadvancing structure is only a ‘Dome’ Sweet Home. #domestable


Thanks to Yuvaraj for putting knowledge and passion in to action. Yuvaraj says - Its just a evolution from the sand houses we used to make as kids. A simple sand dune in a spherical shape retains strength, requires no steel/ concrete. It's about the shape and even load distribution. Try making a flat walled sand house with a roof, It wont stay long. Warp means to 'bend the wall into a self supporting roof'.


Read these articles to know more

Blast Resistance

Dome benefits & strength

Dome Survivability benefits

Dome survival after a 5000 pound bombing

More Dome Info

Domes don't collapse. sharing below a picture of Dome testing by destruction. It has stood stable even after ~40% wall removal on one side.



Mohan

Founder Promoter,

EL Domo Pvt Ltd

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmohank/


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