Gary and Andra Smith have their hearts set on a one-of-a-kind geodesic dome home. The couple is attracted to not only its unusual design, but its practical function.
The Smith FamilyThe Smiths own just over three wooded acres in Oregon. They feel the site is perfect for a geodesic dome home (figure A). Their new house is not just unique in shape, but it’s also a custom-designed prefab, panelized kit. The home is pre-engineered and precut for easy assembly at the build site (figure B).
The Smiths have three kids who are grown up, and moving out. They were hesitant to learn of their parent’s decision to build a dome home, but the more they thought on it, the more they liked the idea. The homes have earth-friendly aspects, they are stable and strong...and, they have very cool architecture (figure C).Since the family was thinking completely ‘out of the box’ by building a prefab dome home, they decided why not go the extra mile and be the builders too?! Gary and Andra enlisted their kids (figure D) and family friends to help build the new house. Roger Boothe, from Oregon Dome, Inc., was the on-site supervisor.
The geodesic dome home has a simple core design principle. The unconventional structure encloses the most amount of space with the least amount of materials. A dome is a structure that uses a triangle as its basic space frame. The home is a combination of pentagons and hexagons interlocking (figure E)...just like a soccer ball (figure F). Dome homes use a third less material than conventional structures and save an average of 30% in energy costs (figure G). The Smiths chose a 39 foot diameter dome with two main levels, a loft and garage. Geodesic dome structures may range from 23 to 80 feet in diameter.
RESOURCES :
Oregon Dome, Inc.
Roger Boothe, founder and dome-raising supervisor
Linda Boothe, designer and general contractor
25331 Jeans Rd.
Veneta, OR 97487
Toll Free: 800-572-8943
Phone: 541-935-5444
Fax: 541-935-5812
E-mail: Oregon@domes.com
The Buckminster Fuller Institute
Website: www.bfi.org
Building Systems Council
National Association of Home Builders
Website: www.nahb.com
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