With my first geodesic dome a success, I was inspired to build a wider, taller and sturdier model, this time using 2×4 boards and special metal connecting brackets, which I also ordered through the Whole Earth Catalog.
This time I loaded the tools, building supplies, lumber and a 12-foot ladder into my van and drove out to a spot near my original dome.
My brother Scott helped me set up and build this new and improved geodesic structure. I knew from the start that I probably wouldn't get much beyond the frame, but that was good enough for me. By this point it was more of a philosophical statement and a work of art than a functional building of any kind.
More a philosophical statement and a work of art than a building.
It took a lot of long hours in the hot summer sun, but we climbed up and down the ladder, attached the 2×4 sections to the metal brackets, and the dome began to take shape.
For all I know, it might still be standing on the farm. Our family no longer owns it; the farm was sold after both of our parents passed away, nearly 50 years ago.
Geodesic domes have lost much of their appeal in the new millennium. Their efficient use of space, their structural strength and their simple design were never enough to make them practical family homes. Curved walls make it hard to fit furniture, cabinets and windows; all those seams between triangles are notorious for leaks; and builders, lenders and insurers have never quite known what to do with them.
They still turn up where their strengths matter most: planetariums, greenhouses, radar stations, event pavilions, and Epcot's Spaceship Earth.