[Domesteading 00289] Re: Fw: books

[rowley]

Stephen quipped:

>  I think the typical Eskimo  igloo builder used a slide rule. Because  
>  he was Inuit.

I've always found slide rules sort of counter-Inuitive, myself. But that's just me. Perhaps in a slippery medium like ice, 
a slide rules?

I think we sometimes place too much emphasis on the math involved in planning our geodesics. It IS important, no 
argument, when you're cutting and drilling steel pipes and everything has to fit together without strain. Or when 
you're designing a stadium roof.

But I was very impressed with the seat-of-the-pants intuition demonstrated in the course of building Dick's randome 
models -- as well as how quickly it's acquired. You soon get a real feel for the shapes and proportions and how they 
fit together, and just where you need to place your connectors. At the workshop, we built with foam-core panels, but 
you're not likely to find these lying around or growing from the trees in Africa, so, happily, you can use the same 
principles to build with any material you have at hand, stick or sheet.

I also think intuition can play a big role in tightly-calculated structures. In the process of 're-purposing" some struts 
originally measured for a 5v icosahedral dome, it turned out to be very easy to make adjustments on the fly to adapt 
the shape to the contours that I was given to work within (a 16' x 32' rectangle):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/looknfeel/sets/72157602649133044/

In order to frame around a pre-existing entrance, I had to measure and estimate (then cut and drill) new struts on-site. 
I was amazed at how easy this turned out to be; I'd labored under the misconception that the math was "complicated" 
and "exacting." 

(I don't think the pictures there show the final structure, or how the doorway was eventually framed. I'm not 
especially proud of how it turned out; I don't think it's really the right shape for that space. But we were under a tight 
deadline to meet building inspection schedules and I had to use struts that I had previously prepared for another 
structure. If I ever get a chance to re-do this, I'll reclaim those 5v struts and replace them with something less 
"geodesic" but better suited to the rectangular deck and the right angles of the walls.)

^~    ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~
Oo
_      www.looknfeel.com   www.flickr.com/photos/looknfeel/


>  -------Original Message-------
>  From: Stephen Miller <triorbtl at sover.net>
>  Subject: [Domesteading 00287] Re: Fw: books
>  Sent: 2008-03-25 07:32
>  
>  I think the typical Eskimo  igloo builder used a slide rule. Because  
>  he was Inuit.
>  
>  On Mar 25, 2008, at 7:50 AM, Sal Cerda wrote:
>  
>  > I think that the prospective dome builder should learn what  
>  > materials are available in the part of Africa that he is going to  
>  > visit.  Beyond the knowledge of how to build a dome, the materials  
>  > to do so are the most important part of creating affordable, safe  
>  > housing.
>  >
>  > As to the math it takes, I doubt the Eskimos used much math in  
>  > creating snow-block igloos.  Therefore, with just a couple of  
>  > principles understood and a supply of  building materials, anyone  
>  > can be taught to build a dome of sorts.   A 'geodesic dome' is  
>  > another matter.
>  >
>  > Funny we have not heard back from Lucas.
>  > Sal
>  >
>  > Robert Vance <naptimeatv at msn.com> wrote: I agree with Mr. Rowley -  
>  > look at what is present and overlook nothing. I am partial to  
>  > bamboo as an often overlooked framing material.
>  >
>  > BVance
>  > http://homepage.gallaudet.edu/janet.vance
>  >   ----- Original Message -----
>  >   From: rowley
>  >   To: domesteading at sculptors.com
>  >   Sent: Monday, March 24, 2008 11:26 AM
>  >   Subject: [Domesteading 00279] Re: Fw: books
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  >   I don't know about books... there are many good ones, but they  
>  > often seem to focus on technological solutions and
>  >   inventions.
>  >
>  >   If you want a METHOD of domebuilding that you can take to Africa  
>  > (or anywhere), and apply to almost any building
>  >   material (and to some materials that you might not normally think  
>  > of as "building materials"), then I would advise you
>  >   to get into a conversation with Dick Fischbeck of Maine, about  
>  > his randome concepts. I think he monitors this
>  >   Domesteading list... but, if not, there are people here who can  
>  > connect you with him.
>  >
>  >   There are some photos of us putting a model together at a  
>  > workshop in Oswego in 2003:
>  >
>  >   http://www.looknfeel.com/photoblog/displayimage.php?
>  > album=random&cat=&pos=-62
>  >
>  >   ^~    ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~
>  >   Oo
>  >   _      www.looknfeel.com   www.flickr.com/photos/looknfeel/
>  >
>  >
>  >>  ----- Original Message -----
>  >>  From: Lucas Scharmer
>  >>  To: bewise at hypertech.net
>  >>  Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2008 7:20 PM
>  >>  Subject: books
>  >>
>  >>
>  >>  I have been looking at dome houses for some time now and I want  
>  >> to learn more. I am headed to Africa in the
>  >   Peace Corps and I would like to be able to build or educate about  
>  > dome houses wile I'm there. I am looking for the
>  >   newest, most thorough book about dome houses and construction. I  
>  > am looking for plans, different types of houses,
>  >   how-to-build them and or any environmentally friendly additions  
>  > to add to them. When my wife and I return I plan
>  >   on building a dome house and would like to find out more about  
>  > the services your company offers.
>  >>
>  >>  --
>  >>  Lucas Scharmer