Our geodesic dome kits are designed to be durable but also incredibly easy to build. Our hubs make it easy to connect the sticks together, (we make the complicated bit, and the joints, easy) so you don’t have to worry about complicated maths or precise engineering. For this reason, our kits make domes accessible to everyone, you don’t need to be a DIY expert or have any experience building structures. If you can cut a stick, and use a screwdriver, you can build a dome with our kit.
Following our straightforward instructions makes building the dome a fun and rewarding project. Plus, the end result is incredibly satisfying, and you can surprise people with your impressive DIY skills!
In this blog post, we'll explain what you get inside the kit, and how you build your dome, plus, we'll share some great projects that other people have made for inspiration. Hopefully, this will help you kickstart your dome-building adventure.
Now, let's dive into what you'll find in our geodesic dome kits.
5 and 6-way hubs:
You'll find just two types of hubs in the kit – 6x 5-way hubs and 20x 6-way hubs. These hubs are the clever connectors that make everything possible. Once you've attached ball connectors to your sticks (we'll get to those next), simply snap them into the hubs to start building.
Ball connector x150:
They screw onto the ends of your sticks, and snap into the hubs, creating the connections that hold your dome together.
Wood screw x150:
You'll need these to attach the ball connectors to the sticks securely.
Hub screw x26: These screws go through the centre of the hub, playing a pivotal role in clamping everything together securely.
Locking plate x26:
These handy plates come into play once your dome is in its final position. They clamp the ball connectors in place, ensuring everything stays put.
Wing nut x25:
The wing nuts screw onto the end of the hub screw, clamping the locking plate in place and keeping things tight.
Hanging eyelet x1:
This is a special piece that allows you to hang something delightful from the centre of your dome, adding a personal touch to your creation.
Allen key x1:
Last but not least, the Allen key is your trusty tool for holding the hub screws in position when you're clamping the hubs together.
Directions:
We’ve spent quite a lot of time figuring out how to best describe building a dome with hubs. The instructions are clear and simple, even groups of children have successfully followed them. The instructions include a kit overview, top tips and watch-outs, base and cover options, and of course a detailed step-by-step building guide.
The kits are designed to work with wood. When it comes to choosing the perfect sticks, there are plenty of options. You can opt for roofing battens, hardwood dowels, chestnut fence pales, oiled oak, broom handles, curtain rails, and more.
To find your sticks, local DIY centres, carpenters, woodworkers, or even traditional fence makers can help you get what you need. There is some helpful information and specs or sticks on our stick guide page. It includes a handy stick length calculator where you can input your desired dome diameter and find out how long your sticks should be.
We also offer broom handles (that can be used as sticks) that deliver to UK Mainland only, these are a great option if you want to get building straight away!
Can I use PVC or metal tubes (or bamboo)?
Yes, it is possible, there are a few ideas here.
If you want to gain a better understanding of our DIY kits and the construction process, consider starting with our Mini Kits. These kits feature mini 5 and 6-way hubs, paper drinking straws that are easy to cut into sticks, and base feet.
They provide an excellent introduction to dome building with hubs and make great gifts for children - we've designed the parts to work with LEGO, allowing kids to integrate their domes into their LEGO world!
Interested? Find them here.
So, whether you're a seasoned DIY enthusiast or a first-time builder, our geodesic dome kits open up a world of possibilities for your creative projects.
To fuel your imagination, here are some great examples that have been made using the kit.
Garden and Allotment Marvels:
Many of our kits have found their home in gardens and allotments. From greenhouse havens for your favourite plants, to fruit cages, pool covers, chicken coops, and outdoor seating areas.
Event spaces:
Geodesic dome kits have been used to craft unique event spaces. Their distinctive style lends itself perfectly to creating special celebrations. Over the years, we've seen our kits being used for weddings, birthday celebrations, summer parties and more.
Set designs:
Believe it or not, our geodesic domes built with hubs have taken the stage! They've been featured in theatrical productions and music videos, creating a distinctive and innovative space. The domes have a way of captivating audiences.
Children’s dens:
We commonly see a lot of dens being made by children, for children, including this vibrant, bright yellow treehouse in Italy. They're great fun to build as a family, and also encourages imaginative play for the little ones.
Lighting installations:
"When in Dome" is a great example. Amy Goodchild built an immersive light installation crafted to investigate communal experiences. Within a geodesic dome, built with hubs, the installation is illuminated with lights, and reacts to the movements of individuals, creating a venue for collective engagement.
Geodesic domes are not just about aesthetics; they also play a role in scientific endeavours. For instance, Michael Pinsky's "Pollution Pods" project utilised our kits to create an immersive experience. Visitors had the unique opportunity to step inside five interconnected domes, each carefully crafted to replicate different levels of pollution and city odours from around the world. It's a fascinating way to learn about the global impact of air quality. For more details about Michael Pinsky's groundbreaking project and how our kits contributed to this sensory journey, click here).
Films & TV:
We've sometimes found the domes on our TV screens! A recent example we came across was the BBC programme 'Between the Covers', where our kits were used in the set design, find it here. You'll also come across them frequently in sci-fi, where they are a popular choice for spaceships and moon bases. Why not try and make your own?!
Think of our kits as your ultimate shortcut to creating something incredibly cool. They come with all the essential components you need to build your very own geodesic dome – and the best part is, you don't need an engineering degree to make it happen.
So, if you fancy trying it out, why not explore our geodesic dome kits, and see what you’d like to build?
We're excited to see your geodesic dome projects come to life, and we encourage you to share your experiences with us, feel free to send footage of your dome journey to our socials.
Happy building!
]]>However, there are a number of geodesic domes worldwide, that unfortunately, cannot be constructed in your back garden within an hour, and may require a more advanced kit to build…
In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the most famous geodesic domes around the world.
One incredibly popular attraction, especially in the UK, is the Eden Project, situated in South West England. It's hailed as the 'world's largest greenhouse and botanical garden.'
The Eden Project offers a wealth of experiences. Visitors can explore the expansive indoor rainforest, taking a journey through the humid tropics, which includes biomes from regions like SE Asia, West Africa, and South America.
The complex primarily features two interconnected enclosures, each resembling a natural biome and housing thousands of plant species. These enclosures are constructed using hundreds of inflated ETFE cells, supported by geodesic tubular steel domes.
For those looking for a Mediterranean experience, there's the Med Biome, where you can immerse yourself in the sights, scents, and stories of the Mediterranean, California, South Africa, and Western Australia. The Eden Project even offers zip lines and adventure activities, along with hosting the Eden Sessions summer music concerts, which aim to raise environmental awareness among concertgoers.
The project draws inspiration from James T. Baldwin's Pillow Dome and was conceptualised by Tim Smith and Jonathan Ball. The steel frame and thermoplastic structural system took 2 ½ years to complete before opening to the public in March 2001. Remarkably, the structure is entirely self-supporting, with no internal supports, and its panels vary in size, with the largest ones at the top of the structure.
Today, it welcomes tens of thousands of visitors annually and has even made appearances in popular culture, serving as a filming location for the 2002 James Bond film, Die Another Day.
If you’re looking for more information on the Eden Project visit their website here!
Spaceship Earth is an iconic attraction at the Epcot theme park in Walt Disney World, Florida. Since the park's opening in 1982, this geodesic dome has proudly stood as the symbol of Epcot, affectionately known as the 'Epcot Ball.’
This immersive ride invites guests on a journey through time, themed around a time machine experience. It showcases how advancements in human communication have played a pivotal role in shaping our future, step by step. The dome itself boasts impressive dimensions, measuring 50 meters in diameter and soaring to a height of 55 meters. Its structural support comes from three pairs of sturdy legs, showcasing the visionary architectural design envisioned by the Wallace Floyd Design Group.
This geodesic dome continues to inspire and educate visitors about the transformative power of human communication, making it a must-see attraction for all who visit Walt Disney World.
Find out more about the EPCOT theme park here!
For the 1967 World's Fair Exposition in Montreal, the United States government enlisted the brilliant architect and scientist Buckminster Fuller to craft a pavilion that would represent the USA on the Canadian stage. Fuller, renowned for popularising and perfecting the Geodesic Dome, envisioned a colossal 20-story-tall dome, echoing his signature design.
This monumental steel structure became a focal point, attracting over 5.6 million visitors who ventured inside to explore exhibits showcasing actual spaceships from the Apollo missions and American artistry. Originally intended to be assembled using bolts for easy disassembly post-fair, budget constraints led to the decision to weld the dome's components together, firmly embedding the structure in Montreal's skyline.
For nearly nine years, the dome remained accessible to the public, until an unfortunate incident during routine welding maintenance led to a dramatic fire, engulfing the entire sphere for 30 minutes. When the flames finally receded, the acrylic walls had vanished, leaving behind the steel trusses of the dome.
In June 1995, the dome was repurposed as a museum dedicated to environmental advocacy. The dome faced another challenge in 1998 when an ice storm forced the Biosphere to close for five months. Despite the trials of fire and Canadian ice storms, the Montreal Biosphere endures as a testament to Buckminster Fuller's visionary geodesic architecture.
To visit their website, click here.
Forest Avenue in Carbondale, Illinois, is home to a remarkable geodesic dome house that served as the residence of Buckminster Fuller from 1960 to 1971.
Read more about him here.
La Geode, located in Parc de la Villette at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie (City of Science and Industry) in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France, is a mesmerising geodesic dome featuring an Omnimax theatre.
This architectural wonder was the collaborative creation of architect Adrien Fainsilber and engineer Gérard Chamayou. With a diameter of 36 metres, the geodesic dome is constructed from 6,433 polished stainless steel equilateral triangles, forming a reflective sphere that mirrors the sky. The dome is securely positioned on a reinforced concrete base, seamlessly integrated with the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, which happens to be the largest science museum in Europe.
To visit their website, click here.
Constructed from 1-mm thick extruded aluminium and aluminium panels with a combined weight of approximately 6,800 kg, this impressive geodesic dome, worth millions, was initially erected for the 1986 World’s Fair.
This renowned facility provides families with both enduring and rotating interactive and educational science displays, as well as captivating shows at the OMNIMAX theatre. It has rapidly evolved into a prominent city landmark and achieved the distinction of being voted as Vancouver's most iconic building in a Twitter poll.
The construction of Matrimandir, signifying "the dwelling place of Mother," spanned an extensive 37-year period, commencing in February 1971 and culminating in May 2008. Fortunately, the enduring effort invested in those decades has borne fruit, as countless yoga and meditation practitioners pilgrimage to this sanctuary seeking tranquillity and contemplation.
Matrimandir boasts a facade with golden discs, encircled by 12 graceful petals, and upheld by four pillars. The visionary behind this temple was Mirra Alfassa, also recognised as the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, who entrusted the French architect Roger Anger with crafting the design. The sunlight dances upon the golden discs around the structure, resembling a colossal golden egg nestled in the heart of the landscape - quite the easter egg hunt!
Want to find out more? Click here!
The Glass Dome Eco House, affectionately named "The Nature House," serves as the residence for the Hjertefølger family, whose name aptly translates to "heart followers" in Norwegian. This led to the creation of this remarkable 25-foot-high geodome, spanning three stories and boasting five bedrooms, nestled on Norway's Sandhornøya island, situated approximately 1000 kilometres north of Oslo.
This unique house is cocooned within a sustainably constructed and eco-conscious dome, crafted from organic materials such as sand, water, and clay. These materials not only provide natural insulation by retaining heat but also form a protective shield, safeguarding the family from the capricious Arctic climate.
Within the dome is a thriving garden, growing an array of fruits and vegetables for the family's consumption. However, the pièce de résistance lies in the breathtaking panoramic vistas encircling the dome, granting the family unhindered access to the renowned Northern Lights—an experience akin to residing in an eco-friendly bubble. Quite the spot for a star gaze hey?
For more information, click here.
The Dalí Theatre and Museum, a prominent attraction in Catalonia, Spain, already garners significant tourist attention due to its impressive collection of works by surrealist artist Salvador Dalí, along with the artist's final resting place in his hometown of Figueres. However, visitors are also captivated by the museum's remarkable geodesic glass dome, adorning the roof.
This Glass Dome serves as a brilliant source of illumination for the stage of the old theatre beneath, enhancing the viewing experience of Dalí's masterpieces. The ingenious geodome design was conceived by architect Emilio Pérez Piñero as a structural solution to preserve the theatre, which had suffered extensive damage during the conclusion of the Spanish Civil War.
To find out more, click here!
This acclaimed geodome, a creation by St. Louis architects Murphy and Mackey, boasts an aluminium framework adorned with plexiglass panels. However, Climatron's initial plastic panels posed various issues, including leaks and discolouration. As a solution, heat-tempered glass panes replaced the problematic panels during a renovation. This alteration, although beneficial for durability, added considerable weight and stress to the dome's structure, necessitating the construction of a dome within the dome for reinforcement, think of it like Russian dolls.
Remarkably, this conservatory is recognised as the world's inaugural fully air-conditioned one, accommodating over 2,800 plants that thrive within its climate-controlled environment. The geodesic dome design optimises natural light and space, creating an ambience reminiscent of a lush tropical rainforest, thanks to its computerised climate control system.
To find out more, visit their website.
We hope you don’t mind us sneaking one of our projects in here. We were really chuffed to help Michael Pinsky bring his idea to life, the five pollution pods were built using hubs kits! They’ve toured all around the world, from London to New York, to Geneva to Vancouver, really try to visit if you get a chance.
Pollution Pods are five interconnected geodesic domes that house meticulously crafted environments that replicate the atmospheric conditions found in London, Norway, New Delhi, San Paolo, and Beijing. Beginning at a coastal location in Norway, visitors traverse a progression of increasingly polluted cells, transitioning from arid and cold climates to hot and humid conditions.
The creation of Pollution Pods was commissioned by NTNU as a component of the Climart initiative, a four-year research project. This project delves into the fundamental psychological mechanisms that influence both the creation and reception of visual art, aiming to bridge the gap between natural sciences and the visual arts through its findings. We were really proud to be a part of this great project, if you’d like to find out more, visit their website!
If you’d like to read more about our geodesic dome DIY kit then find our other blogs here, and if you’re interested in building your own dome, you can browse our shop here.
]]>Out in the world, they have been used to create sustainable housing, impressive architectural features, educational spaces, greenhouses, glamping pods and shelters – they are very useful structures!
Here we’ll cover a bit on the history of geodesic domes, the benefits of geodesic domes and some ideas on what to make if you fancy making one. We’ll also show how we’ve solved the challenge of making a dome, so that pretty much anybody can make one, to enhance their home, or garden, or realise a geodesic dome-inspired project.
Walther Bauersfeld and R Buckminster Fuller (‘Bucky’) were key figures in the discovery and formalisation of the geometric principles underlying geodesic domes.
Walther Bauersfeld, an employee of Carl Zeiss, a German company specialising in optical systems and optoelectronics, started work on the world's first projection planetarium in 1912. A planetarium, essentially a specialised theatre, primarily serves as a platform for educational and entertaining presentations on topics related to astronomy and the night sky. It also serves as a training ground for celestial navigation.
In 1923, Bauersfeld completed the inaugural planetarium, known as the Zeiss I model in Jena. Zeiss I possessed the capability to project a celestial panorama featuring 4,900 stars, although its geographic range was restricted to displaying the night sky exclusively from Jena's latitude. Bauersfeld went on to develop the Model 2, an advanced iteration that boasted an impressive array of 8,956 stars and the ability to replicate celestial views from any location on Earth. T
The Zeiss I planetarium in Jena is recognised as the pioneering example of a geodesic dome derived from the icosahedron. This architectural innovation predates Buckminster Fuller's reinvention and subsequent popularisation of the geodesic dome by 26 years.
Buckminster Fuller, an American architect and visionary, aimed to create efficient, sustainable structures (amongst other things!) that could benefit humanity. He patented the design in 1954, promoting its use in various applications due to its unique combination of strength and material efficiency. Domes quickly gained recognition for their potential to create cost-effective, eco-friendly, and resilient structures, a vision that continues to inspire and guide modern architectural practices.
He was a fascinating character and full of amazing ideas, check out this animated interview to get a bit more of a sense of his thinking. This picture shows Buckminster Fuller's own dome house!
(General Wikipedia summary is here)
Geodesic domes are loved for their extraordinary structural benefits. The triangles provide remarkable strength, distributing stress evenly across the structure, and the geometry allows for lightweight yet incredibly sturdy construction, capable of withstanding severe weather conditions, including strong winds andheavy snowfall.
The spherical form also enables the wind to pass over and around the structure, reducing its drag versus more typical building shapes. There is also no need for internal support; this creates a great sense of space with unobscured views in every direction – if you’ve been to the Eden Project, you’ll know exactly what we mean here, the sense of space is amazing! These unique qualities make geodesic domes a great option for a range of applications, from residential to educational and recreational.
Geodesic domes deliver quite a few environmental advantages. The dome's form maximises interior space while minimising external surface area.
This leads to a reduction in the materials used in construction, which can lead to a lower construction carbon footprint and reduced waste.
The ratio of interior space to the external surface area also helps with efficient temperature regulation and encourages air circulation, and the shape is also great for natural light. Together these reduce the need for artificial lighting and climate control, which can lead to energy savings, another eco-friendly plus point of geodesic domes. So geodesic domes are not only architecturally sound but also energy-efficient, a great advantage in today's environmentally conscious world.
Geodesic domes are remarkably versatile, serving a multitude of purposes.
They make striking living spaces, creating unique and sustainable houses. In educational settings, they provide innovative, engaging environments for learning and exploration. For recreational use, domes can be transformed into greenhouses, garden rooms, and cosy retreats. They are also great for temporary installations like event venues or emergency shelters. You’ll also see them crop up quite a lot in sci-fi, quite a common feature on spaceships and a form of choice for moon bases!
Domes are typically tricky to build. The maths is tricky, and then the angles at each joint are really tricky to make physically. So unless you are a master craftsman it’s very hard to make one. And even if you find someone who can, it’ll be very expensive. That’s where our kits come in. Our hubs make the hard part, the joints, easy, making building a dome remarkably simple, and accessible to everyone. Even those with minimal building experience can construct a dome easily. In fact you probably don’t need any building experience to build a dome with hubs! By working with readily available wood, they are inexpensive to build too. All you need to do is cut two lengths of the stick (our calculator will tell you the lengths!) and you are ready to go.
We’ve spent a lot of time thinking through the process of making the dome, creating comprehensive instructions that explain it as simply as we can, to make the assembly process as hassle-free as possible. The intuitive snap-together hubs are very satisfying to connect - building the dome is actually quite a lot of fun! The hubs themselves are made with high quality, durable automotive grade UV stabilised plastic, with stainless steel metal parts to secure them in place. They are designed to last a long time in the great outdoors.
If you want to make your own dome, whether it’s a greenhouse, fruit cage, kid’s den, chicken run, tree house, pool cover, observatory, shed, an artwork or a set for theatre production, then our kit can help you realise your idea.
Need a bit of inspiration? Check out all the other people who have made domes with hubs, then explore various kit options and buy directly!
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