From: Robert Childs (bizarrinitii_at_earthlink.net)
Date: 02/05/03
Message-Id: <200302052340.h15Nek329287@bucky.sculptors.com> Date: Wed, 05 Feb 2003 18:29:15 -0500 Subject: Newbie From: Robert Childs <bizarrinitii_at_earthlink.net>
I've been wading through the archives for the past three nights and, to
steal Brigham Young's quote upon reaching Salt Lake; "This is the place." I
have so much to say and describe about what I'm doing and what y'all (I'm in
North Carolina) are doing, it would take three pages, so I'll just put it in
outline form and expand upon it later.
--I have been designing my dome (as well as furniture, ceramics, appliances,
transportation and retrofitting conventional housing) for 25 years. After
taking a course in getting creatively "unstuck" last year, I decided to
build a model of my dome a- la- Bucky.
--A couple of weeks ago, I saw a local art center's ad for a Habitat for
Humanity design competition--prize $15,000, on the jury: Steve Badanes
(Jersey Devils Architects--one of my living heroes along with
Hubbell&Hubbell, Bart Prince & dead ones: Bucky, Victor Papanek, FLW,
Thomas Jefferson) Model is 2/3 done-- I'm still frantic!
--My dome is not--actually-- but a full sphere on a pedestal 8-10 feet high
similar to one on Southeast Geodesics website.
--Why? Minimal foundation/labor necessary, above floods, snowdrifts,
brushfires, full natural air circulation.
---Frame work is geodesic for US consumption (my model uses a Hoberman
sphere) with spokes radiating from a cylindrical central core of concrete
blocks to points on the framework, making up three floors. See Deltec homes
for a similar pattern. Framework in countries without precise machining
capability can be anything from bent wood to pipe to salvaged rebar, but in
a simpler globelike latitude/longitude pattern.
--Sphere diameter is 45-50 feet, enabling three floors; Under 1st floor:
energy storage, batteries, fuel cell, flywheel, etc. and electronics. 1st
floor: kitchen, bath, workspace. 2nd floor: Living/solar collection area.
rainwater storage(in floor, gravity fed to 1st floor) Outside: full
perimeter deck 3-4feet wide, made of fiberglass for rainwater collection
from upper hermisphere of sphere with intenal low voltage radiant grid for
snowmelt. 3rd floor: sleeping area, toilet room at top of central core.
Bedrooms can be added modularly all being pie shaped. Walls of soundproof
fabric or accordion-panels--retractable for daylighting.
--Miscellaneous frame details: "Spokes" (floor joists) are TJI's (engineered
lumber) without subflooring, but held in tension with cable (telephone pole
guy wire) like a spider's web, which can also be wrapped with low voltage
heating tape(pipewrap). Flooring is cement board (bathroom tile backerboard)
for thermal mass and heat conduction. Joists of 2nd floor pierce skin(see
below) to support perimeter deck and windpower attachment.
--Skin: lightweight fiberglass or other molded plastic in non-geodesic
TRADITIONAL form. See defunct(?) Xanadome company of the 1980's or Domes
Intl. of present. Segments are sprayed with polyurethane foam on site for
insulation and rigidity, then a thin layer of paper or air-crete for
interior skin. Segments are assembled on-site using adhesive caulk.
--Why? Smplicity: a fraction of the numper of panels to be manufactured
transported and assembled. A geodesic "shell" can go up in a day or two, but
weatherproofing, insulation, drywall? Cut from square stock? Time, energy
and material waste. Seams: almost all of my seams are vertical. Water runs
off. If a leak does happen, it is easy to find where it originates and
repair before any damage is done. None of this with geodesics.
Acceptability: The Pantheon St. Peters, St Pauls, Congress, about every
state capitol, thousands of churches, igloo's and the goodyear blimp. People
are used to this form. I get an involuntary jolt every time I pass a
geodesic, and I am as familiar with them as most of you.
--Miscellaneous skin details: I am experimenting with recycling carpet using
a heated, pressurized mold to melt the nylon fibers and bond them to the
backing. If this works, it would reduce costs enormously and keep millions
of tons out of the landfills (I should know, I used to work for a carpet
wholesaler) The upper hemisphere rotates on its "North Pole" axis. The
fiberglass perimeter deck panels are fixed to the 2nd floor joists. The
upper hemisphere panels have a concasve groove at the bottom as do these
deck panels12-15" above the deck surface to avoid leakage. This groove is
filled with bearings (recycled golfballs!) The whole point of this is not
only to give you a different view when you want it, but to enable expensive
and labor consuming large windows to be installed only on a couple of the
segments. This way, the whole 2nd floor is a solar collector as the entire
hemisphere can track the sun throughout the day. A small motor or even one
person can move it as the skin is non-structural, hence very light. The
bottom hemisphere , though non-rotating has hinged segments that can fold
down and out to bounce southern sunligt into the kitchen and workspaces
during the day, This will increase solar gain, elininate need for
worklighting and be ideal for small scale fruit or vegetable growing. The
seams, since shielded from rain by the deck, need only be weatherstripped.
Opening is by wire and pulley. the hole when the panel is open can be
covered with poly or mylar sheeting, or plexiglass since the panel can be
closed to protect from wind , cold, fire etc.
I guess I'll stop here and let all of you digest. I'll go into the
solar, wind, and hydropower applications later. Also, by March 1st, I will
have photos available of my model. I beg feedback from everyone, and will
discuss any principle or detail. I've worked on this thing for 25 years,
with the mantra, "Simplify, simplify, simplify!" Echoing in my head. I
would welcome any help in that direction , as my means are as limited as a
Habitat client. Keep it cheap, simple and light. Thanks!
Robert Childs