Very versatile arena. But why did not they build Geodesic Dome?
Was the reason that Richard Buckminster Fuller was then still alive and his patent in force?
I know very little
about the Louisiana Superdome but a little bit more about Bucky Fuller's geodesic domes. In spite of the evident innovative base for Fuller's kind of geometry, the domes had very often a whole series of technical problems. I remember the American pavilion at Expo 67 in Montréal (the structure is still in use but the skinn has burned and was never replaced)continuously leaking when there was any serious rainfall. Part of the problem is of course the difference between the theoretical shape and the real shape.The first one is the result of Fuller's genius, the second is a combination of equal elements all put together in a consistent fashion but as all things greatly affected by gravity. In other words, the mass of the dome puts an uneven load on the lower elements and they (and the connections) deform accordingly. From a theoriteal point a view it does not take away from Fuller's merits, from a pure mechanical point of view it is un-wise to build domes with with equal elements. The Romans were already very succesful in changing bothe the tickness and the composition of the concrete when they cast the dome of the Pantheon in Rome. As has been pointed out before (I hope so) Fuller's structures are perfect...in outer space. Which may coincide with where his imagination was when he developed them.
By the way, we are still without water and electricity but we have a brand new basement(two feet higher that the one that was destroyed by the water)and...an internet connection...so I will try to catch up!
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