Geodesic Home in 3D

Please wait for images to download. This page requires QuickTime

If you have any questions please E-mail: jay(at)salsburg(dot)com

These domes offer superior Wind, Ice, and Snow load resistance to comparably priced housing.

Contrary to some, the fact that the Fly's Eye Dome was never fully developed does not mean it is somehow inadequate or a 'bad design.' It truly is a marvel of natural integrity, beauty and grace. The design enhancements I have added for this new design are remarkable in that they incorporate features that make it one of the strongest free span structures ever devised. Bucky talked about the integrity of "Compound Curvature" in providing enhanced strength while, at the same time, reducing weight. The Fly's Eye Dome does this but I have taken it to a new generation by incorporating a higher level of geometric integrity that structures based on Geodesic Math cannot achieve. Yes, the Fly's Eye Dome does not use Geodesic Math. The Fly's Eye Dome incorporates "Double Compound Curvature." I have also created another doubling effect in addition, multiplying its natural superior strength. This new design produces a structure with unprecedented strength and economy, that could very well be expanded to sizes never before obtainable in free span structures (unlike high frequency Geodesic Math-based domes which exhibit catastrophic dimpling that the Fly's Eye Dome does not exhibit). When this concept is used for building homes or small-to-medium sized office buildings, the advantages in strength and economy are truly remarkable.

My work constitutes continuation of research and development that Buckminter Fuller initiated and did not continue because of his passing. I assisted John Warren (1980) in constructing the original De-Resonated Fly's Eye Dome models sponsored by Bucky and Sir Norman Foster. These original models were just one-off 'Fancy Jewelry' and did not embody reliable engineering practices. I have extrapolated these early primal designs and produced reliable engineering information and documentation including a book on the Fly's Eye Dome Home without copying any of the original designs created by Amy Edmondson; My design was created in an isolated white room environment without any assistance from the original schematics or design plans. By uncovering the Geometric principles of the Fly's Eye Design the original concepts put forth by Bucky may be developed and established for posterity. The images below are not copies of any known design. They are completely original and do not depend on any existing or past designs or diagrams.

Jay Salsburg

Created with formZ
Interior View of Nebula Dome
Geometry based on BuckminsterFullerine
Geodesic House

The Dome seen in the following three images is based on Polyhedra, this design's skin is made completely of sheet metal and can be prefabricated. It offers very low cost and large size.
Contrahedron House #1

View overlooking the loft.

View from front with panels removed for visibility.

View from behind bed.

Below is the Torus Dome. With 12 foot ceilings it offers the advantage of a large outdoor atrium in the center. It is 60 feet in diameter and is made of Sheet Meatal and Glass.
Torus House #1

Fly's Eye Interior Virtual Reality, 182K

Fly's Eye Interior Virtual Reality, 6Megs

Click to see VR of Fly's Eye Interior.
Lofts have been rendered semi-transparent to allow viewer to see through them.

If you cannot see these Virtual Reality images
Go get Quicktime

View of Fly's Eye
from ground level looking into the front window

View from ground level with lofts added

View from ground level with stairs and banisters added

View from first loft in front of stairs to second loft

View from outside second loft

View looking over bed on second loft at night
Fly's Eye
View looking over banister on second loft

Birdseye view at night

I created these models with formZ. They are not just simple CAD models. They utilize advanced design and engineering suitable for mass production. These advanced Domes will withstand Hurricane-force winds.. They may be prefabricated and shipped anywhere on earth. The Thermal Resistance factor may be maintained at R-30 if the open spaces are not used for windows. All services may be routed inside the structure proper, which is 1.5 to 5 feet thick, depending on the design parameter at the modeling stage. Many material combinations may be used to prefabricate the structure including:

1. Steel or Aluminum sheet metal or
2. Stucco, foam, cement, and rebar or
3. Pneumatic Enclosures (Air Pillows)

Wood is not a viable material for the structure but may be used for facade and interior decoration. The structure may be fabricated so that it is portable like a tent.

If you have any questions please E-mail: jay(at)salsburg(dot)com