From: Ernie (ernestly_at_addr.com)
Date: 02/08/03
Message-ID: <001f01c2d009$18e77420$42a4ecd8@pavilion> From: "Ernie" <ernestly_at_addr.com> Subject: Re: Newbie Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2003 01:01:36 -0600
With 50 ft dome you could have 3 floors, with Sphere, 5 or 6 ?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Childs" <bizarrinitii_at_earthlink.net>
To: <domesteading-request_at_sculptors.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2003 5:29 PM
Subject: Newbie
..... 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.
Yes fix before it rains or might have mold like down at the library...mold
in the walls, closed and no checking out books for 3 weeks :-(
... 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.
Good for the Observatory too.
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
>
I see a dome - mounted and rotatable on a spherical base, so that the whole
thing looks like a complete sphere. Now I wonder how Epcot sphere is holding
up after all these years, - http://www.gardendome.com/ep/epcot.html
I have considered somthing similar- By hollowing out the earth and placing
the sphere partly below grade, the earth is the supporting mount / anchor.
My sphere project partly assembled -
http://www.gardendome.com/aug29_02_wagon.JPG
some big non geodesic [as we know it] spheres -
http://www.gardendome.com/kp/kitt_peak.html
http://www.gardendome.com/KittPk.JPG
Ernie
