Scaling the Template

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by some_other_dave

In the last picture, the vortexes (vortices?) are due primarily to the sharp corner between the vertical sides and the flat top..........................

Unfortunately it takes a lot of length to smoothly transition from a common car corner to a large curve radius or beloved fish/ dolphin tail.

Originally Posted by some_other_dave

For example: In the aircraft world, significant reductions in drag have been found simply by adding a fillet between the wing and fuselage of the aircraft..................

Excellent example, and I'm a huge fan of blended wing and lifting body aircraft. Not that any of the below work would actually fly, I just like the shapes/forms from a sculptural viewpoint.

George Kachadoorian, Architect PLLC

[freebeard]

Two different threads that are the same is making my head hurt.

So now there's one. Daox dropped the hammer.

Filleting works on the inside corner edges, not so much on the outside corners.

kach22i -- Off-topic, but here's the only house I ever designed that was built.

Aerodynamic on the outside and inside. You could ventilate most of it by opening a door on the 2nd floor deck and the 'joe-sent-me' peep-hole in the entry door. Air would flow over a wall under the skylight.

[Xist]

Well, since the main thread is temporarily closed, I would like to take this opportunity to request the involved parties to get a room!

[freebeard]

One of the principals is in this thread.

Whadja think of the house?

[Xist]

Originally Posted by freebeard

One of the principals is in this thread.

Whadja think of the house?

Is it full of love? It defeats the purpose of building a geodesic dome if you do not fill it with love!

It seems complicated, but I understand that they are supposed to be very strong. I watched some video where a guy tried to build a hurricane-proof house and insisted on riding out a hurricane inside. Of course, once it was too late, he got scared and wanted to leave, but his house survived moderately.

It was a dome.

[freebeard]

It was built by my parents in 1980. I built the factory that produced the dome kit and laid out the design; they owner-self-built before and after my father retired.

It was made of 2x4 and plywood panels. The forms were accurate to 1/64"—the shell of the structure is as accurate as most peoples kitchen cabinets. Outside from bottom to top: Field stone masonry, stainless steel flashing, hand split cedar shakes w/ stainless steel staples and an aluminum framed double-bubble plexiglass skylight (kind of like living in a lampshade, filled with natural light in the daytime).

They lived in it 8 years. I'm proud of my folks, not many in their generation would step out that far over the line.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by freebeard

It was built by my parents in 1980. I built the factory that produced the dome kit and laid out the design; they owner-self-built before and after my father retired.

It was made of 2x4 and plywood panels. The forms were accurate to 1/64"—the shell of the structure is as accurate as most peoples kitchen cabinets. Outside from bottom to top: Field stone masonry, stainless steel flashing, hand split cedar shakes w/ stainless steel staples and an aluminum framed double-bubble plexiglass skylight (kind of like living in a lampshade, filled with natural light in the daytime).

They lived in it 8 years. I'm proud of my folks, not many in their generation would step out that far over the line.

I certainly could not see my parents living in one!

Or my dad assembling... anything...

I remember when he bought his 486. He spent the night connecting the color-coded cables that were different sizes and shapes, so they could only go to one place. He seemed very frustrated.

[freebeard]

These days my folks would be considered Makers. The spent their lives in half-remodeled houses. This was the one new one they built.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by freebeard

It was built by my parents in 1980. I built the factory that produced the dome kit and laid out the design; they owner-self-built before and after my father retired.

That sounds wonderful, I've always been a big fan of the Geodesic dome.

One of my clients had a dome on lake Michigan, tore it down and rebuilt a conventional but much larger home. He used a local architect, not me. I would have moved the dome to the roof.

I met Buckminster Fuller shortly before he died, he was in Lansing/East Lansing to give a lecture in the early 1980's at Michigan State, I sat in the front row. Earlier that week my program head suggested that I come into school to work (Lansing Community College) on my architecture projects and bring my 3-wheel car drawings. I did just that the day of the lecture, and sure enough some old guy looks over my shoulder while I'm drawing and comments on my design.

It was VW Beetle based, with a single front wheel - all very wedged shaped. Bucky commented that it was backwards, the single wheel should be in the back.............he didn't say much more but I was happy just to have him look at it.

[freebeard]

...and sure enough some old guy looks over my shoulder while I'm drawing and comments on my design.

A story for your grandkids.

Back when I still had options, I bet on geodesic domes as the future. Unfortunately, the people I built the production shop for hated me. The last job I had in the building industry was estimating for a roofing truss company. Pretty much the opposite of domes.