Spherical Structures
Geodesic dome home building kits.
Spherical Geodesic Structures provides the most user friendly geodesic dome building kits. Creating energy efficient, low cost housing with the simplest and lightest building construction methods. A ten sided geodesic truss kit, prefabricated of light gauge steel with rigid foam insulation. All sides are pre framed for conventional window and door openings.
Over the past 30 years Spherical Geodesic Structures has been building spherical light gauge steel geodesic structures and spent the time to change the design and engineering of the geodesic dome structures to more user friendly construction methods.
Light gauge steel has always been the superior building product over wood. With the continual rise in wood prices and poorer quality the use of light gauge steel has become feasible for use in the residential housing market.
Spherical Geodesic Structures dome kits are designed and engineered using light gauge steel and rigid foam insulation. Superior products and design, is the Spherical Geodesic Structures standard.
Spherical Geodesic Structures are a combination of the highest quality components available regardless of the application or site loads. Spherical Geodesic Structure represents a consistent level of quality. It is our goal to accurately match the needs and design criteria of each individual customer with the geodesic structures best suited for their project.
Spherical Geodesic Structures bases building design details on the needs of the client, rather than molding the needs of the client to fit an available geodesic structures. Clients are free to choose from a number of spherical roof truss profiles.
Spherical Geodesic Structures status as an original manufacturer also allows customers to make informed decisions on the best engineered design for their project.
Contact our experts to initiate a detailed discussion about the needs and budget allocated to your project, and learn how Spherical Geodesic Structures corporate strength can be placed solidly behind your project requirements.
Design Concepts
Many clients are ready to accept innovative concepts from the visionaries such as Fuller, Wright and Gropius.
---Merging materials with nature.
---Doing more with less to create efficient shelters.
---Maximizing design flexibilities and dynamic ideas.
---Practical to the environment and the builder.
---Building without compromising modern principles
---The relationship between inside and outside
---Natural expression of materials
--- Innovative, modern domestic architecture
---Technically built affordable housing
--- Flexibility, freedom of choice and better quality.
Spherical Geodesic Structures is providing geodesic structures built in the next century. More practical and inexpensive residential designs that have evolved to address the needs of individuals who will live in them.
Systems of converging components that the builder and owner complete at their discretion. Inexpensive, low maintenance, high degree of environmental control and design choices.
Compelled to explore possibilities of technology currently available as well as those not yet discovered. Spherical Geodesic Structures offers conceptual and innovative custom structures. The concepts of the geodesic structures where designed to create the most livable environments possible while keeping costs low.
This derives from our passion for efficiency in architecture. Efficient designs must be flexible, simple and cheap. With the interest in production and site adaptability.
Standardization of geodesic structures construction, design and materials make it possible to offer incredibly reasonable prices. Beautiful to look at and inexpensive to produce.
We enjoy taking the opportunity to do the research by doing one-off applications to various geodesic structures. Considering the optimal conditions for creating the end product and designing for the process. Rather than designing and figuring how to build it.
Adaptability is taking advantage of a product's effectiveness. Transforming obstacles into advantages and continuously looking for good, though always not obvious ways to solve problems.
We do not hesitate to apply modern technology in user friendly ways. Using the lightest and strongest materials for our geodesic structures gives you the ability to build it yourself in a very short time.
This is our ambitious attempt to create energy efficient, affordable housing for everyone. Spherical Geodesic Structures is committed to high standards of quality, but not a particular architectural style. We are interested in applying the most advanced technologies to the simplest concept - SHELTER Dome Kits .info
Design Advantages
Spherical Geodesic Structures Continues to provide the most user friendly geodesic structures. Creating energy efficient, low cost housing has been the driving force to designing and engineering structurally sound geodesic structures with a novice owner build construction method.
There are very few geodesic dome building companies offering prefabricated geodesic structures. In the last 30 plus years most all dome kit companies have changed owners but not their products. There are only 3 or 4 different geodesic dome building construction methods.
After building all other manufactures dome kits 3 or 4 times Spherical Geodesic Structures was compelled to design and engineer a faster and lighter construction method and to lower the cost of not only the dome kits but the cost and safety of the construction method.
The triangulated sphere is structurally superior in design to the box shaped structures. This should lead you to believe it would be less expensive to build. Most companies are only interested in selling their dome kits and not the finished building.
Spherical Geodesic Structures believes it has designed the construction method and choices of materials to build the superior geodesic structure for LESS than box structures. We hope to share some of the unique advantages and differences Spherical Geodesic Structures has over the rest of the design ideas in the world.
1. The lightest and smallest components in a geodesic dome kit.
2. The most accurate connection system creates identical triangles.
3. All exterior trusses, floor systems and interior wall panels are available in wood or light gauge steel.
4. The only geodesic dome truss manufactured with the compound angles cut on the ends of the wood struts.
5. The use of 10 sides on the ground level creates easier foundation layout.
6. Door and window openings are pre framed for conventional doors and windows on all 10 sides.
7. The construction method is designed for one person to complete all phases.
8. All components are light enough to be held in one hand.
9. There is no need for the use of a crane or other mechanical lifts during construction of your geodesic structure.
10. Many architectural options are available that other dome building manufactures do not offer.
11 - Many pre cut, pre fabricated and pre manufactured dome building components are available.
-- Any exterior finishes are possible and available in your dome kit.
-- Any insulation can be used and any R-value can be achieved.
-- A ventilated exterior panel of plywood and ridged foam is available.
-- Any interior finish is possible and available in your dome kit.
-- The optional pre finished T-beam frame creates a finished joint between panels.
-- Pre finished interior drop-in panels are available, (any color, any material, any texture).
-- Any roofing and side wall finishes are possible and available.
--Pre-cut foundation and floor systems in wood or light gauge steel.
--Pre-fabricated interior wall panels in wood or light gauge steel.
--Pre-manufactured porches, patios, decks, stairs, cupolas and dormers.
Dome kit Engineering
The two greatest problems facing any structural design engineer is weight and compression from gravitational pull and shear quality against wind loads and earth quacks. The spherical shaped structures and domes will always have the advantage over the square or box shaped structures.
As the spherical structures become lighter and stronger with height the rectangular shape becomes weaker. The triangle is the strongest geometric shape and the triangulated sphere the strongest structure. The weakest area on any rectangular or spherical structure is closest to the ground or foundation.
With this thought in mind the worst structural engineering idea is to put a rectangular wall at the base of a triangulated sphere. To properly incorporate a rectangular riser walls under a geodesic dome you must take the time to change all the geometric history to integrate square walls under the triangulated sphere.
One of the construction challenges to the 3 frequency icosahedrons is it has no flat line (horizontal great circle near the hemisphere) to attach to the foundation and a rectangular riser wall is used by most dome building manufactures. The use of a separate independent rectangular riser wall completely undermines the structural integrity of the triangulated spherical structure (Geodesic Dome Truss).
Most all dome kit manufactures use a 3 frequency icosahedrons for their exterior truss designs. Having less triangles than the higher frequencies makes for less components to manufacture. The larger triangles also helps in placing and framing rectangular windows and doors.
The 3 frequency icosahedrons struts (made of wood) and connections become to weak to safely support the structure larger than 35 feet in diameter. For larger buildings you must go on to using 4 frequency and higher geometric designs. The 4V(frequency) icosahedrons is flat at the hemisphere. With almost twice the amount of triangles and the struts almost half the length the 4V building can safely be built twice the diameter as a 3V building.
The construction industry continues to change as every other technology. New materials and technologies are being used to built the latest projects usually by the lowest bidder. In the big cities inspection are pretty strict and usually have competent inspectors. Out in the more rural areas you may never see an inspector. Especially if your building a geodesic dome building.
All spherical and box shaped structures are required to have an engineering stamp of approval. You can find engineers to stamp anything and risk losing their license if the building falls down. It is sad to see that we will never see the end of poorly engineered products in the hands of unknowing consumers for the sake of a fast buck.
Every dome kit manufacture has a web site nowadays. Look at their pictures and see how many people it takes and how big their components are. Not even the experienced construction person wants to handle a 300 pound plywood hexagon 20 feet in the air. How many days can you afford 600$ for the crane and operator.
Putting the frame up is not the only phase of construction to be concerned about. Fifteen and twenty sided foundations are always fun for even experienced form carpenters. Exterior sheathing and roofing can be a challenge if your triangles are out of alignment which is very common on the bolt together steel hub design. Even a quarter or half inch can cause real headaches and a rise in construction cost.
On the 3V buildings the triangles are 7 to 10 feet tall. On a 4V building the triangles are 4 to 6 feet tall. The smaller triangles are much easier to handle when doing the out side plywood sheathing or inside drywall.
I don't believe there is any structures prettier and more spectacular inside than the dome building. After 40 years building I find boxes to be very boring. They do have their advantages. They tow down the highway pretty fare and you can stack them side by side.
