Digital tools in the architectural design of a geodesic dome: The case-study of the bearing structure of an artificial sky lighting installation

Abstract

This article discusses the use of digital technology in the design and construction of a geodesic dome built in a student workshop as the bearing structure for an artificial sky lighting installation. Digital tools were used for the whole process from preliminary to detailed design, fabrication and assembly, in order to allow the investigation and precise representation of the geodesic geometry. However, limited possibilities, in combination with the intrinsic nature of the geometry, which allowed segregation of tasks, did not permit a full exploration of the potential of the digital continuum at that time; even though taking advantage of digital technologies, the process maintained some of its linear characteristics. A couple of years after the successful completion of the installation, the project is ‘revisited’ in retrospect, and the design process is ‘reengineered’ considering the design potential of recent advances in digital technology. In this work in progress, an attempt is made to work with an inclusive model that contains geometric, structural, material and manufacturing input and constraints and can inform design, fabrication and assembly processes, allowing for dynamic manipulation and control of parameters at any given time; thus, reconfiguring in real time the design, as well as the related processes.