Page:SELECTED ESSAYS of Dr. S. S. KALBAG.pdf/265

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Field to build a planetarium dome. He built a 40-m. lightweight dome in Ferro cement using the icosahedra shape. Buckminster Fuller gave the name Geodesic and made it popular in the USA. By 1941, an equivalent of $10,000 domes of 6-m. diameter were constructed in USA. The inherent strength of the sphere allows considerable reduction in steel without sacrificing strength. B. Fuller claims that for a conventional wall and roof, the structural weight required to shelter 1 sq. ft. is about 50 lbs. whereas for his geodesic designs, it is a mere 0.78 lbs. Thus, the two well-known domes in Italy - the dome of St Peters and the Pantheon were both about 150 ft in dia. and weigh about 30,000 tons. In contrast, Fuller's geodesic dome of 150 ft dia. weighs only 30 tons, 1/1000 th in weight. In an earthquake, both the heavy domes would fall, but Fuller's will remain standing. Because of the small surface area for the volume enclosed, the heating and cooling effects are minimal, so also wind and cyclone effects. After getting some experience of building and living in a dome house, we designed a kit that is: Modular - common components for all sizes Easy to assemble - colour code and nut-bolt assembly Core gives the strength - assured strength Potential to generate employment in rural areas; whosoever the client is. The 280-sq.ft. domes require a maximum of 85 man-days to erect the steel and cement shell on a firm foundation, and another 40 mandays for the “finish" to make it attractive. We believe there is scope for reducing this to 50 and 30 respectively. The kit production is economical to rural areas and brings to the village new skills that could be used in other fields. Rural Development Through Education System 252