DOMES

DOMES

Dome
A dome is a element of
architecture that resembles the
hollow upper half of the sphere.
Dome is rounded vault made of
either curved segments or a shell
of revolution , meaning an arch
rotated around its central axis.

A dome can be supported by

columns or piers that transition to
the dome through squinches or
pendentives.
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Domes have been popular in the construction of buildings since ancient times. They
have the advantageous characteristics of withstanding adverse climatic conditions such
as earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and tropical storms.
Earlier domes were used only in religious buildings, but more recently they have
been found in residential buildings as well. Houses with domes are usually found in
regions that experience heavy winds and extreme climatic conditions. The trend can
also be seen in public structures such as schools and colleges.
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Elements of dome

 Coffer
 Cupola
 Lantern
 Oculus
 Pendentive
 Rotunda
 Squinch
 Tholobate
 Whispering gallery
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Coffer
A coffer in architecture is a series of sunken panels.
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Cupola
A cupola is a small, most often dome
like structure on top of building. It
usually crowns a larger dome.
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Lantern
A lantern is a day lighting cupola architectural element
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Rotunda
The rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan and covered by a dome.
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Squinch
A squinch in architecture is a construction filling in the upper angles of a square
room so as to form a base to receive a dome
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Tholobate
A Tholobate or drum is the upright part
of building on which dome is raised
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Pendentive
A pendentive is constructive device which
allows the placement of the circular dome
over the square room or elliptical over the
rectangular room.
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Whispering gallery
A whispering gallery is a circular, hemispherical, enclosure, often beneath a dome in
which whispers can be heard clearly in other parts other gallery
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Masonry Dome Construction

Construction of a spherical dome from masonry. 1 Dome/masonry, 2 Establishing the

centerpoint, 3 Trammel, 4 Brick clamp with counterweights, 5 Backfill
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Masonry Dome Construction

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Temple of Mercury at Baiae ("Temple of Mercury," )

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One of the oldest techniques of earth architecture is the brick strategy, which was often
used to construct bridges and arches. In this technique, concrete, brick or stone are put on
top of a wooden frame, which is molded according to the desired shape. The mold helps in
holding the stone or brick in place until it settles and supports the whole structure.

Temple of Mercury plan variations and proposed Rakob's proposed Roman centering for the Temple of Mercury at Baiae
Roman centering systems by Rakob and Rasch (Lancaster, 2005) (Lancaster, 2005)
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Geodesic Dome

the Geodesic type of dome has been the most famous and extensively used in the last
century. The main advantage of this dome structure is that it provides a massive enclosed
space without any type of hindrance or support system. Moreover, geodesic dome
construction can be erected easily and quickly using lightweight materials and a very
small crew. several companies sell plans and dome materials along with instruction so
that the owners can make the dome themselves.
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Geodesic Dome – Flattened conduit

This method is a bit rough and ready but it’s cheap and simple to build a dome
framework. Covering is quite difficult to get crease free and I wouldn’t
recommend trying to cover with a hard covering material. This technique is best
suited to building climbing frames and small experimental projects to get the feel
for building geodesic structures.
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Geodesic Dome – Flattened conduit

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Geodesic Dome – Tube & hub construction

This is a nice easy way to build a dome only requiring slightly more work than the
flattened tube method but gives a much more flexible and professional looking job.
Use this method for building climbing frames, portable dome structures and even
permanent large domes. Probably not suitable for dome homes or greenhouses (glass
doesn’t like to be stretched)
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Geodesic Dome – Tube & hub construction

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Stressed skin technique

The stressed skin technique is one more modern building method. This uses metal
or fiberglass panels riveted together. The method saves costs and doesn’t require
any beams or support structure. However, to prevent any kind of condensation, it
becomes necessary to install insulators in the structure.
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Sanchi Stupa

India Pavilion World Expo 2010, Shanghai, China

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TYPES OF DOME

•Beehive dome
•Compound dome
•Crossed-arch dome
•Geodesic dome
•Hemispherical dome
•Onion dome
•Oval dome
•Sail dome
•Saucer dome
•Umbrella dome
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Beehive dome or corbelled dome

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Compound dome
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Crossed-arch dome
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Geodesic dome
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Hemispherical dome
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Onion dome
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Oval dome
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Sail dome
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Saucer dome
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Saucer dome
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