How to Design and Build Your Dome Home


Book Description

Shows sample dome house designs, explains how they can be modified, and suggests how to build and heat a dome house economically.




Dome Living


Book Description







The Dome Builder's Handbook


Book Description

This book is for people who want to build their own domes. It's also for those who are interested in domes and want to learn more about them.




How Buildings Learn


Book Description

A captivating exploration of the ever-evolving world of architecture and the untold stories buildings tell. When a building is finished being built, that isn’t the end of its story. More than any other human artifacts, buildings improve with time—if they’re allowed to. Buildings adapt by being constantly refined and reshaped by their occupants, and in that way, architects can become artists of time rather than simply artists of space. From the connected farmhouses of New England to I.M. Pei’s Media Lab, from the evolution of bungalows to the invention of Santa Fe Style, from Low Road military surplus buildings to a High Road English classic like Chatsworth—this is a far-ranging survey of unexplored essential territory. Discover how structures become living organisms, shaped by the people who inhabit them, and learn how architects can harness the power of time to create enduring works of art through the interconnected worlds of design, function, and human ingenuity.




Charas, the Improbable Dome Builders


Book Description

"Pioneer Works Press, in partnership with The Song Cave, is pleased to present the release of CHARAS: The Improbable Dome Builders, by Syeus Mottel (2017), a fascinating account of six ex-gang members who broke ground to construct a geodesic dome on a vacant lot in the shadow of the Manhattan Bridge after a 1970 meeting with the celebrated and revolutionary architect R. Buckminster Fuller, also known as Bucky. Originally published in 1973, this republication speaks to the issues at the heart of the CHARAS project as gentrification seems to multiply faster than communities can work to preserve themselves against it. The book acts as a record to highlight ways people have united to activate empty spaces before gentrification. As a group, CHARAS was interested in physically altering the housing conditions in their immediate neighborhood, the Lower East Side. Influenced by Bucky's teachings, the young men of CHARAS began a period of devoted study to solid geometry, spherical trigonometry, and the principles of dome building. Following this period, CHARAS developed a program that encouraged community autonomy and the reclaiming public space. More than simply a documentation of the project, the book offers stories, profiles, interviews, and images, and the group's process from their intensive study to the obstacles they faced while physically constructing domes."--pioneerworks.org




Duct Tape Engineer


Book Description

Learn to create furniture, bags, outdoor items, and more using duct tape and simple tools and materials, with no special engineering skills needed. Start with duct tape basics that will aid in assembly: Learn cutting and tearing methods and taping techniques (yes, there's more to it than slapping it down). Discover how to make sturdy duct tape sheets that can be cut and shaped. Using easily accessible tools and supplies like a utility knife and heavy-duty cardboard boxes, try your hand at making a desk and desk chair. Grab some foam and make a backpack, or create a custom hammock. Build a geodesic dome, and go truly epic with a giant pyramid catapult. Every project includes step-by-step instructions and clear diagrams and photos. Don't miss Lance Akiyama's tips and suggestions for supplies, project variations, and material substitutions. Follow the solid construction techniques and you'll ensure that these DIY projects will become favorite classroom activities and family projects. Among the projects are: A lightweight bed frame and full-size dresser with working drawers Outdoor pieces like a hammock and garden swing A heavy-duty toolbox with pockets galore, and a stylish two-color messenger bag Ballistics, including a slingshot A kayak! These projects are real, they work, and are super fun. Roll up your sleeves and let the engineering begin!




Latex Concrete Habitat


Book Description

In many war torn and poverty stricken regions, the indigenous architecture has been heavy mud and wattle roofs on thick mud walls. These structures, while cool in the summer, are of very low strength, are maintenance intensive, are time consuming to build, and are largely in massive disrepair. Replacing these mud structures with the light weight roofs of latex concrete produces a permanent architecture significantly more safe and strong, of very low maintenance, and of remarkably low cost, as the roofs can be built by available unskilled labor. The time required for reconstruction is considerably shorter than the time required to replace the older heavy construction, and the self-help characteristic of this new form of construction leads to more rapid recovery from disaster. This how-to-do-it manual teaches people how to build these new roofs.




How Was That Built?


Book Description

This striking book explains the feats of engineering behind the world's most impressive architectural marvels. From skyscrapers that reach astonishing heights to bridges that span deep and wide rivers, the world is filled with awe-inspiring structures. But how do they work? Meet the extraordinary people who challenged our beliefs about what's possible, pioneering remarkable inventions that helped build the Brooklyn Bridge in the US, the Pantheon in Italy, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Shard in England and the Sapporo Dome in Japan. Discover the ingenious methods engineers have come up with to enable us to build underground, underwater, on ice, and even in space. With text written by award-winning structural engineer Roma Agrawal and detailed full-color illustrations by Katie Hickey, this book provides unique and illuminating perspectives of the world's most incredible constructions. How Was That Built? is a perfect gift for curious kids who want to learn more about construction, architecture, science, technology, and the way things work. This children's picture book also serves as a fascinating companion to the author's adult nonfiction book Built: The Hidden Stories Behind our Structures, winner of the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books.




Building a Roll-Off Roof Observatory


Book Description

Almost every amateur astronomer who has taken the pursuit to its second level aspires to a fixed, permanent housing for his telescope, permitting its rapid and comfortable use avoiding hours of setting-up time for each observing session. A roll-off roof observatory is the simplest and by far the most popular observatory design for today’s practical astronomers. Building a Roll-off Roof Observatory is unique, covering all aspects of designing a roll-off roof observatory: planning the site, viewing requirements, conforming to by-laws, and orientation of the structure. The chapters outline step-by-step construction of a typical building. The author, both an amateur astronomer and professional landscape architect, is uniquely qualified to write this fully-detailed book. A professionally designed roll-off observatory could cost as much as $3000 just for the plans – which are provided free with Building a Roll-off Roof Observatory.