Geodesic Domes History

Since the beginning, mankind's ambition has been to feed, protect and improve itself. The oldest civilizations evolved living in round yurts, igloos and teepees because of a need for strong shelter, the scarcity of building materials, and light weight that took the least effort to transport during migration. Many of the world's oldest and architecturally beautiful buildings in Europe and Asia are arched domes, or buildings with clear span arch entries and halls built strong enough to survive the centuries. Dr. Walter Bauersfeld, using spherical geometry, was first to combine the strongest geometric shape, the triangle, with the sturdy arch in Jena, East Germany in 1922.

Some popular geodesic domes known today are: 

• Future World Exhibition at Epcot Center in Walt Disney World
• Tacoma Dome in Washington State. At 530' in diameter, it is the largest public geodesic dome covering a football field and stands
• Minneapolis Convention Center expanding to 500,000 sq. ft. under four low profile domes
• America's exhibit at the 1967 World Fair in Montreal, for which the United States commissioned Buckminster Fuller
• Milwaukee's Mitchell Park Conservatory with three geodesic domes sitting on elliptical bases that provide tropical flower gardens year round
• Biosphere desert project in Arizona
• Des Moines Arboretum, a self contained ecosphere
• Los Angeles city housing project with over two dozen domes
• Geodesic jungle gyms in many American city parks
• Thousands of family residences and cabins throughout North America