Geodesic Dome Greenhouse Plans Easy Blueprint

Diy Geodesic Dome Greenhouse Home Project

Geodesic Dome Greenhouse Plans How To Build Your Dome Greenhouse
Geodesic greenhouses are becoming an increasingly popular way of self sustainable green living, competing with traditional greenhouses for performance and strength. A sphere-like dome greenhouse offers several advantages over regular greenhouses. For a start, the biome within will be better insulated and less affected by temperature fluctuations, guaranteeing a more even average temperature all year round. This in turn means better growth for vegetables. This is because the shape of a geodesic greenhouse approximate that of a sphere, with better volume to surface ratio, hence better heat retention. Also, a spherical shape is by default the strongest, stronger than any other shape for the same volume.However, the starting geometrical figure of a geodesic dome is the basic icosahedron. This is made up of 20 triangles with their sides bordering each other and closing up within an ideal sphere. You can then make subsequent divisions of these 20 triangles into smaller ones in order to build an acceptably spherical geodesic dome. The smaller the triangles, the more spherical and less triangular the dome will be. Specifically, a diy dome greenhouse can save you from few $hundred to few $thousand depending on the size of the project. Kits are quite expensive to buy, but a viable alternative is the diy way with the help of geodesic dome greenhouse plans and a blueprint

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Geodesic Dome Greenhouse Basics
While building a geodesic greenhouse is not rocket science, it is not as simple as building a chair or a table either.

If this is your first foray into dome greenhouses, let alone diy in general, do not be overly ambitious. Start small. The bigger the dome, the more expensive. Sounds obvious, but maybe it is not. Also, the more fractioned the dome, the more complex to build. Even configurations like 2v, 4v or 6v are more difficult and require more parts to build a dome of the same size than odd configurations do. If you are a starter, a 3v or 5v configuration is ok. If you do not know anything about even and odd dome configuration, you can find out more below. Make sure to place your greenhouse with maximum sun exposure and on even ground. Remember that for an odd configuration you can choose between a height of 4/9th or 5/9th of the dome radius, giving you more or less ceiling room for the same base area. Instead, an even configuration will give you a ceiling height of exactly half the size of the radius.

Geodesic Greenhouse Plans

Geodesic Dome Greenhouse Plans - Diy Blueprint

Building A Geodesic Dome
Making a geodesic greenhouse becomes easier if you plan and do your maths well ahead. Choose your radius and configuration and work out how how many struts and connectors you need and their size. It can be daunting the first time, hence the need for a preset blueprint with plans to leave no room for error. You then need to worry only about the assembly, not the geometry and math calculations. An important aspect of the construction is the foundations. Geodesic greenhouses are very strong because they mimic closely a spherical shape, but they are also very light by default, so they must be anchored to the ground to prevent them from sailing away in strong winds. Once you manufactured all the struts and connectors as for the plans, it can take you as little as a weekend to set your geodesic dome up and running. A geodesic greenhouse is a preferable alternative to standard greenhouses for its better performance and sturdiness, offering the best conditions for growing vegetables even in the coldest climates. Of course, it may be a little less straightforward design than a rectangular greenhouse or a lean to the house set up, but the extra time invested for its implementation will pay off with a stronger structure better insulated from the cold and temperature fluctuations.

Geodesic Dome Greenhouse Plans

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Building A Geodesic Dome - Getting Specific

A geodesic dome is based on the icosahedron. The 20 basic triangles making it up can be each subdivided into odd numbered triangles called 3v or 5v, meaning that each triangle side is divided by 3 or 5, generating an odd frequency dome, or they can be subdivided into even numbered triangles called 2v, 4v, 6v, generating an even frequency dome. From a practical stand point and for the same dome size (the radius of the dome), odd frequency domes require less component parts and are a little easier to build, however the base will never be flat, with struts uneven on the floor, thus requiring additional leveling adjustment. This is because an odd dome base cannot be at exactly half the sphere it is contained in, but it will seat at either 4/9th or 5/9th of it, with the latest option offering more headroom and volume.

n the other hand, even-frequency domes of the same size require more components and more component size variation than odd-frequency ones and are more laborious to build. However, their base will be perfectly flat as it will match that of a semi-sphere, with a less triangular but fuller and smoother surface, closer to that of a proper sphere.
Flower Dome House Hub Style Greenhouse

Geodesic domes are very strong structures that are being used for all types of applications, including housing, stadiums, fairs or

greenhouses. Geodesic biomes offer more climate stability than regular greenhouses because the spherical shape offers the least surface for the most volume within, allowing for warmer temperatures, minimal dispersion and less fluctuation. The spherical shape makes them incredibly strong for load bearing purposes, offering outstanding sturdiness against the elements. However, while very strong, a geodesic dome greenhouse is also very light by default. This is

because for growing purposes, the dome frame, which can be a wooden struts frame, is wrapped all over and stapled with transparent films to allow light in. This requires anchoring to a foundation base to prevent the dome blowing off in high winds.

or other purposes like large fair domes, stadiums or simply houses, the materials used for dome construction range from laminated triangles to reinforced concrete, but for a simple dome greenhouse the construction is way less complicated. Once got the right strut and joint numbers in the right size, it is a matter of assembling them, with the possible extra work of leveling the base of an odd frequency dome (3v or 5v). This can be achieved with different methods like creating a "filler base" so to speak, or re-orienting the whole dome in a particular way. More on this below.
Geodesic Dome Greenhouse Plans

Diy Geodesic Dome Greenhouse Plans Implementation

How To Build A Geodesic Dome Greenhouse

We know now that it is easier to make a geodesic dome greenhouse with an an odd frequency (3v or 5v) because for the same size it will require less parts than and even dome (2v, 4v, 6). The 3v is particularly popular because it creates a shape that is acceptably close to that of a sphere for strength, internal volume and temperature performance without being excessively triangular or less performing like a simple 1v odd frequency. For example, to build a 10 meter radius geodesic dome, a 3v configuration with an intended 5/9th radius height (more ceiling height and internal volume than a 4/9th but same floor area) would require the following parts: 165 wooden struts divided into 3 groups, each of different width, and 61 strut connectors divided into 3 group, each with 4, 5, or 6 connections.

Total parts: 226 (165 struts + 61 connectors)

n a 4v even configuration the number of parts and complexity rises considerably. You would need 250 wooden struts divided into 6 groups, each of different width, and 91 strut connectors divided into 3 groups, each with 4, 5, or 6 connections. Total parts: 341 (250 struts + 91 connectors). As you can see, there is a lot more work to do for just a 4v Geodesic Math and How to configuration, which is the closest even configuration to an odd 3v, while the latter is considerably simpler to set up without loosing too Use It much "spherical performance", looking still like a proper dome, if more rugged, and still smoother than the even 2v configuration. This is why most people choose a 3v odd configuration for diy geodesic dome greenhouses, regardless of size. This popularity leads in turn to the base leveling problem that is intrinsic to this kind of set up and must be considered as part of the deal, whether you choose a 4/9th or a 5/9th of the perfect half sphere enclosing the geodesic structure. There are 3 ways to get around the problem. The first method involves changing the strut lengths on the base triangles, using a fillet and changing the orientation. This is a complex procedure and only adds unnecessary complexity to a relatively simple project, though it works.

he second method involves adding a fillet below the struts sticking off the ground to make the base flat. For a 4/9 dome you need a fillet for every hexagonal base strut. For a 5/9 dome a solid base is added because the slope is going the opposite direction so you need to cut a sliver off the base beam. The third method involves rotating the dome until a dividing point and then cut some of the base triangle in half. It is a bit of a mess but still better than changing strut length as per the first method. This way the base will be flatten down to produce an exact half.
Geodesic Dome Greenhouse Plans