Yes, you read it right:
Geodesic domes don't work, at least not as well as they should in residential sizes.
To build my house, the solar heating equation required the use of a dome shape. Since I had learned first-hand of the flaws of geodesic math, I created my own dome math.
I abandoned icosahedral-based math altogether and simply placed points where I wanted them. Then, using spherical trig which Steve turned into spreadsheet equations, calculated all the required lengths and angles.
In addition to the obvious improvement of making strut rows horizontal, Allard domes have their characteristic bulge.
I pushed out the second strut row so it returns to the second floor at the same floor diameter as the first floor. Nothing is lost and there's a wonderful feeling of roominess as the walls bulge away from you.
Next, I incorporated door frames into the strut math.
My openable triangular windows are hinged at the top and have been a huge success for us through fifteen years of thunderstorms and deep snow. The windows are so leak-proof, they protect more when they are wide open.
The continuous weatherproof skin is a chopped fiberglass and silicone sub-mat, with a granulated glass and silicone weather surface.
Pick up a tube of silicone at a hardware store. Notice "Guaranteed for Life". I don't expect to have to repair the outside of my house.
