Dome Portfolio

Steel Domes

This page describes how to build geodesic domes using rigid (mostly!) struts of thin-wall (EMT) steel tubing with self-adjusting connections made using simple nuts and bolts.

This method of dome construction is not new here, it was mentioned in "Domebook 2", pages 46-49, volume edited by Shelter Publications, Second Edition October 1972, 1971, Shelter Publications, Bolinas, CA, USA. It was also mentioned in "The Dome Builder's Handbook", pages 31-32, article by Ed Cooley, volume edited by John Prenis, Fourth Printing 1977, 1973, Running Press, Philadelphia, PA, USA. These first two are still (as far as I know) out of print, though Shelter Publicationshas a new book called Shelter). A variation using aluminum tubing and a special covering system appears in " Bucky Works", section on "Pillow Domes" pages 168-179, by J. Baldwin, Fourth Printing 1977, 1996, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, USA. I am sure there are other examples of domes constructed using this general method, since it can be quite simple (given the proper tools).


This page is under construction, please come back later to find out how to make your own steel tubing domes!

Walt lies in hammock in a steel tubing dome Junction of six steel struts Top vertex of steel dome


Small (2-Frequency) Steel Dome

This dome is about 16.6 feet (5.1 meters) in diameter.

Picture of 16.6 foot dome

Walt rests inside the small steel dome.


(return to Walt's Dome Pagemain page)