UnityDome Most efficient dome free plans

After a huge response from my last video about a dome with only one frame type I've finally managed to put together the plans.
This dome is maybe the most efficient structure possible using 8X4 sheets.
It has only one frame type.
It can be cut in half to go against a wall. (or go on a corner)
It has a flat base.
You don't need to cut into frames to make a door.
Very efficient use of 8X4 sheet material.
The door will also serve to join multiple domes together.
Two possible door openings opposite each other.
No hubs
Oh and the plans are free
View/Download here: wangerflange.c...
Enjoy!

[@markmilne3967]

I wish I could like this video 100 times. This exemplifies how great KZbin is when people like Paul can share boundless amounts of expertise to anyone in the world for free. Thank you.

[@SXVWT]

Gives all he has for free. This man deserves a big statue. LEGEND!

[@SpeedmasterNZ]

Yes Thank you Paul. Im going to look at making one in Thailand when my wife and I turn for our holiday home.

[@morphergaming0531]

This is exactly the size I've been looking with the perfect height. Considering building a tiny home but I wanted the size of a yurt with a single story only. You have hit perfection.

[@mikebeutner798]

This is the best design I have seen for a dome because, as you clearly state, it maximizes the use of 4x8 sheets of plywood and eliminates the cost of hubs while providing enormous design convenience and flexibility. Really excellent work! Thanks for your willingness to share. It's wonderful to see innovation on display.

[@mattbooth92]

I built this in my garden at a 0.57 scale factor so the footprint fit my garden. Had to raise it a little to make it so I could get in but it works perfectly. Great plans thank you for sharing Paul.

[@jamesmartin5357]

what math did you use to scale it if you don't mind me asking? i'd like to scale this up to 30 ft in diameter.

[@ornametrics]

​@@jamesmartin5357use a triangle calc to find the angles then size up the struts accordingly.

[@jasonbell6079]

Thank you for the time and effort you put into teaching people about this subject. I’ve learnt a lot and I’m looking forward to taking on this project.

[@sgardner]

Paul you are a genius and so very generous with your time and ideas. So glad I found your KZbin channel via Pinterest.

[@GunnarsGames]

This is the best design I have seen for any geodesic dome. I will build this one on a concrete platform so the door is square. The ability to combine multiple domes is amazing. Such a simple design with readily available materials.

[@pertinentparadigm1337]

Holy shit this is awesome! I recently bought some plans from you but I'll be making this one first. Think I speak for everyone when I say thanks for making these opensource and FREE!! This is perfect for a modular tiny home on wheels I've been looking for!

[@johnnybayles7412]

How would you put this on wheels? It would have to be so narrow.

[@pertinentparadigm1337]

@@johnnybayles7412 It would be challenging to figure out but slide out origami style.

[@johntwiname1]

Brilliant Paul I had been doing an octahedron breakdown for going into a corner and this dome does it. I am impressed and we will build one in Cullybackey N.I. Your are doing a fantastic service to the dome community Paul.

[@themountainjake]

Just discovered your channel and this video and am really impressed. This seems like some Buckminster Fuller-level innovation! Well done and thank you!

[@Jonathan-sk4pt]

this by far seems the best. Paul thank you for simplifying! wathced tons of videos and hope to coordinate my plans to your site or here. this now is doable for any person of skill. best product to help a wondering human to find a humble home

[@michelewhitewolf3712]

Excellent 👍. This is workable solution for many different applications that a homesteader may require. Easy fabricated in a shop during off times. Then assembled as needed. Thank you so much for your time and generosity.

[@petefoster4244]

Thanks for sharing such an elegant design with the community Paul. I see so many possibilities to explore brilliant

[@chicagobuck]

Thank you for sharing this with us. And for free! It's beautiful!

[@user-he2qi3ee7q]

Hi Paul thanks for your amazing work !!! every video is an inspiration greetings from Spain

[@thetruenolan6655]

This is a really brilliant design! Very practical, especially with the easy bisections and quartering. Nice job!

[@davidfuller764]

I could not agree more! Thanks!

[@adriancozumel2022]

Greetings from Cozumel Mexico 🇲🇽 this is an awesome start project!!! Thanks for your work and specially for sharing your knowledge!

[@liambenyamin5482]

There isn't a cut list. A cut list would be awesome!!! I believe this is the most beautiful of all the domes to date! Thank you for sharing!!! It's a game changer.

[@leftfootmoreright3304]

Paul shares his plan including measurements plus hints and a how-to for free. and people like you still find something to complain about. use your head and go figue the cut list out for yourself. it is not rocket science.

[@edi9892]

I never liked geometry in school, but I do like it in art and architecture...

[@PeterWest70]

I am looking for a dome plan for 2 persons, for a desert area, bolted to a slab, to serve as a hub for additional "add-on" daisy chain expansion. Glad I found your channel... was quick to subscribe! Thanks

[@firsty8056]

That's a really gorgeous looking dome, i can't wait to give it a go

[@andrelouw7343]

Thank you Paul for your efforts and sharing your design. This is brilliant. Looking from above I notice that this design lends it self very well to stretching it into a tunnel.

[@Geo-Dome]

Yes I agree, will be looking at this next...

[@vesc1389]

Thanks Paul, this is a wonderful design, with so many "features" in the result! Think I will try this with EMT, either 3/4 or 1 inch. Can even build in stages if rested into a corner, then flat wall, etc. Inspiring... thanks again.

[@JohnGuest45]

stacking 10 struts on one bolt? lol

[@georgeelias1016]

First, my respect to your kind heart for sharing your knowledge free. Also my appreciation for the brilliance of one-piece dome model. I saw your comment that wanger flanges could be expensive. You are a wonderful engineer but a bad salesman :)). God bless…

[@susanneschauf7417]

I am very impressed. Best channel for geodetic domes. I want to built this in my garden. Thank you so much for your explanations ❤️

[@bwillan]

This is a good looking dome layout. Perhaps a calculator could be constructed for the strut lengths for different size domes.

[@Ludifant]

Sure I can do that. But if you know what it is called, you can find one online. These type of domes are derived from catalan solids. This is for instance a disdyakis triacontahedron, which is a deltoidal hexecontahedron where the deltoids are split into two triangles. If you wikipedia them, you´ĺl see the similarity between the two. Here is a calculator for a deltoidal hexecontahedron: rechneronline.de/pi/deltoidal-hexecontahedron.php

[@JohnGuest45]

You dont learn anything if everything is done for you. Any calculator can be used to find the chord factors , Strut Length / Radius equals Chord Factor. For a different size dome, Radius * Chord Factor equals Strut Length.

[@HergerTheJoyous]

I'm building one now, I resized it by laying out the base of the greenhouse in sketchup and using the scale tool to resize it. Every base length is a different side to the triangle so by resizing the base you get all the strut lengths resized automatically. Hope that helps.

[@audigit]

@@Ludifant thank you!

[@dougieparke]

@@JohnGuest45 so if I want a 13m diameter, I am building 4 metre-ish triangles?

[@sterlingfletcher7801]

Fabulous! I just completed my imperial GD27, I would love this in Imperial conversion as well! Thank you!!

[@audigit]

Thank you for IDEAS THAT WORK, leading to other ideas that develop. I'm working on the ideas, and you implement your thoughts in a great sharing platform. Thank you for creating this site.

[@DesertJungleMan]

The 3 angles you might be looking for the kite triangle to make a jig are (it is not a right angle triangle): 86.97 degrees~87 59.13 degrees~59 33.90 degrees~34 It is derived from “Deltoidal hexecontahedron”

[@tiptrick7762]

I love you

[@DesertJungleMan]

Sending love to you as well, show us your work @@tiptrick7762

[@fisheater844]

Was wondering about that, no 90 degree corner because when viewed in the plan view the corners appear to radiate out at 90 degrees. Paul mentioned that you could take a corner out or build onto a corner I just can’t see how that would work. I am wanting to build onto an interior corner could you or someone explain what I am not following.

[@DesertJungleMan]

@@fisheater844 probably it would work out since you have to fill the seem gaps with some a flexible material like silicon as a weather seal. So, I would not worry about it too much, it is though important to know the angles for building the dome as a whole. If you want to reduce the risk, build it on sketchup first and see how it would work. Good luck, and share results if possible

[@kulwinderThandi]

@@fisheater844 building on an inside corner you would only need a 1/4 of the dome, look at the plan view and divide it into 4 sections use 1 for an inside corner, 2 for a flat wall and 3 for an outside corner, 4 would be the stand alone dom

[@queenelcene638]

Wonderful, beautiful, ThankYou for the free plans download. Peace, respect, love.

[@zerkco9280]

Great Job, very usefull for me ! Thank you so much for sharing and working for the community. I was looking for a good dome to build and this one is one of the best model I saw. I mean easier to construct for a good average size. Ideal for me. Thanks. I am still watching your channel with great attention and pleasure.

[@e-bikerbulgaria]

Definitely the best dome and simple for beginner.

[@Ludifant]

Actually it is not real easy to build under gravity or wind, since it is floppy until the last three struts are in place. Also you need a good base that pushes the lower circle out a bit to get some sturdiness. Also it would be a really good idea to strengthen the part were the long ends of 10 triangles meet.

[@markroeder2491]

Could you put out an updated download with imperial measurements?

[@LongWalkHome1]

Exceptional, Excellent design, Thanks for sharing!

[@mackyb27]

Maybe it looks like simple and from the math point and linking it is along with flat bottom. But there are actually 6 different pieces from engineering standpoint that has to be build, also triangles are bad gor any kind of openings like windows. I was thinking in the same direction but ultimately I came to a conclusion that less elements the better. My approach was mixing triangles penta and hexagon shapes to form modular structure. I ended up using only 5 elements with 3 od them not being prismatic (forming triangles) that are used for static load. Kudos for your work and sharing it. Really good work.

[@scottishpride032]

I really enjoy this dome style. The kite frame, with the single shape really simplifies it, plus the fact that the dome is dividable in 4 quadrants is really cool too! I'm planning to build a 4 season greenhouse dome and this might be my top choice. I plan to make a footing from ICF Blocks and insulate the north wall part way up. I'm curious if the dome size can be scaled up much without stressing the struts?

[@pokkrongphasukyued8851]

This is the best I have ever seen. Thank you very much.

[@zepposprojects3205]

Thanks Paul! Been looking at your video's and you sir, are amazing and inspiring.

[@wlgeiger]

Love these! I would appreciate imperial since you asked but also, since you've done so much work I can whip out the converting app :)

[@prairiemountaineer]

Great design... hope I get to try it out (maybe next summer, as this one already has enough projects). Thx for sharing

[@philatherton4242]

Great thinking. Simplest design I've seen yet

[@UPSIDEDOWNRAMBLING]

Thanks a million for all the great information you share. The dome looks great and it's the right size for my project as well!!

[@jamie2944]

Great stuff Paul, you've done us all a massive service, cheers legend!

[@kathleen8167]

So cool. Looking to build a frequency reverberation structure.. I do sound therapy in Montana in the woods. Thank you for your work.

[@go4acro]

Dude so nice, I wanted to make one that can be moved and this one can turn into 4 pieces, amazing. Thanks

[@oscarb.morales5906]

Definitely would like to have plans for this dome, I enjoyed the possibilities explored using Sketchup, and more importantly that this half-dome seats flat. That in itself simplifies a lot of issues.

[@Geo-Dome]

Link is in the description!

[@believetheresgoodintheworl4792]

Paul you are amazing! Thank you endlessly for sharing your knowledge and plans with the world. We are a group of friends in Ontario and we want to collectively help each other build domes on each others properties. We love this plan due to the simplicity of only having the one size triangle, and the adaptable nature of this design, however we have a connection for free lumber of 3 feet in length (2x4 studs) we were hoping to utilize. Can this plan be modified, or you you have an alternate plan you would recommend us to use? Thank you kindly!!!

[@yinzerboys]

This is awesome thank you! For your knowledge and time

[@josephKEOarthur]

Truely a godsend.. Much respect and thanks!

[@harlemsar]

Thank you for your generosity, greetings from Colombia : )

[@IBoughtTheFarmca]

How do I cut this down to have a footprint no bigger than 108 sq ft. This way I can avoid building permits.

[@geodeaholicm4889]

THANK YOU PAUL for yout excellent design, explanation, & pdf. i hope to build one if i can get some affordable land.

[@Berkana]

This is fantastic. Thanks for doing this!

[@justmeted1969]

Very cool concept! Quite elegant. Thank you!

[@arquitemaschile]

Beautiful solution, Im not a big fan of domes, but I might just try this one out, thanks for sharing your work.

[@rossgebert9422]

Great one Paul, love it! Thanks.

[@DJR3H]

Nice, thanks! My gd27 dome is in use for the last 5 years and still great to use.

[@samuelspeedsr6706]

Fantastic Paul. I've been researching Geodesic domes for about 40 years. It's on my bucket list to build one. would love to talk to you about it if possible. Thank you.

[@dilpickel22]

where is the sketchup Model? A friend and I are planning on scaling this up slightly and building it! How can you get the triangle dimentions, we want to form our own insulation inserts from Mycelium to fit in the triangle and overlap eachother like shingles. Coat them with liquid rubber on the outside and give it a sunken foundation

[@donedoer]

This is awesome! Bang up job. Is there a Sketchup file available for scaling the dome? I'm looking to build an 8.5m half dome to cap a hoop house that I'm building around my camper and this is PERFECT! Thank you for sharing!

[@maggiesmith979]

This one is really beautiful

[@ronphillips379]

Thanks Paul. Great information. Useful building.

[@nicjames8465]

Absolute legend.

[@parsonswoodworx]

Paul, this is a really cool plan, and I plan on building a scaled down version (with a knee wall) as a playhouse for my grandchildren. Thank you for sharing it. I have a question on the frame triangles though. I assumed from looking at the frame measurements diagram (on the 4th page) that the angle between the 1828mm side and the 1214mm side was a 90 degree angle. However, if I plug the three leg dimensions into a triangle calculator, I get that angle at 86.79 degrees and the other two angles at 34.56 degrees and 58.66 degrees. Is that correct? Thanks.

[@sparc5]

That's what I got too. The longest side was 2137mm and that's the square (un-beveled) piece. Is that the same as your measurements?

[@ornametrics]

Correct. I've just done the same thing and can now use my own strut lengths to downsize.

[@tipo9nine514]

Amazing. My plan is for a 24 foot dome, and this is about 22, so I just need to put my thinking cap on and figure out the measurement changes to make that happen.

[@audigit]

Haa! you are the best. Straight away an interesting build... Let me know how if this knocks up with the Joints you sell... I'm all in for the build, if so. thanks. I think Aircrete Harry and you should have a conversation, over a few beers.

[@markschroter2640]

Would scaling back the frames change the angles? Assuming all the lengths are scaled back in an equal ratio ie. 20%?

[@eglebitinaite2283]

What are the angles of frame triangle? by given measurements it doesn't look to be 90 degree triangle. Thanks for response!

[@TomGould-cz1vh]

Hi Paul, I've seen the design but can't work out all 3 angles with the exception of the 90 degree? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

[@HemonDey]

Hi Paul, thanks for this bang up job, excellent work and very interesting. As you can split it into halves and quarters so easily, would this not make a great tunnel as well? I remember from your previous tunnel videos that was a difficulty with some of the 3V because they don't have a flat bottom and difficult to slice. Indeed this done would solve those problems the way I'm seeing it. I'll see if I can have a crack at it on Sketchup :) thanks for the plans! it is really appreciated!

[@tools144]

Brilliant!! Thank you for the free plans.

[@GDFourcade1]

But Paul, The bevels on the longest piece of timber don't seem to be 90 degrees in the built dome, do they?

[@peterkoh1129]

Thank you very much... a lot to learn from and amazing design...

[@EzequielBaltazar]

Good design! Thank you!

[@harpyastudio5569]

Hi from Brasil, congratulations Paul you are a Visionary , love your ideas. Thanks for sharing.

[@ashiraisrael598]

so the frame is with 2x4 timbers? and you just staples plastic or screw polycarbonate to the frames?

[@DennisKenneybees]

Thank you Paul for a great video and like Nicola Tesla you are a great humanitarian. I assume the framing is screwed together at various locations along each side. But it seem to me that the frame side that you show as 90 degrees would need a bevel also to create a circle dome? Have you actually built a dome from these plans? If plywood panels are used on top of the frame; I would assume the size of the panels would need to be expanded so all the corners fit together?

[@mathwithnikhil]

So, if you are cutting those pieces on 8x4 you can directly use solid panels instead of creating struts. Have I got that right? Please I am a complete beginner in this, want to build something like this on my land.

[@zomesargentina]

Thank you so very much Paul! Cheers!

[@robert.peyroux]

Hi Paul, Thanks for your time and for sharing so nice ideas with us. Just a little stupid question. I first imagined all triangles were right-angled triangles, but then I went on the slide concerning the frame measurements and 1214, 1828 and 2137 do not fit with Pythagore! May be I misunderstood or perhaps these dimensions are not in the same plane.

[@BobbyJackBland]

Paul thank you again for for the content and hard work, i have a question about making frames, can we use a regular 2x4 to build the frames or does it need to be a narrower ripped board? Thank you again!!!

[@dingo5842]

Paul, I have a question about the angles in the triangles. Based on the 1214/1828/2137 lengths, instead of 30°/60°/90°, they're ~34.5°/~58.5°/~87° (much more complicated to cut and inefficient to cover with right-angled plywood, fabric, etc). Was this for reasons intentional, was it simply by chance, or is it an unintended rounding error? If we can use 30°/60°/90°, it would be a lot easier to fabricate (fewer cuts) and cheaper to source (as we could make more optimal utilization of right-angle substrate sources). We'd probably have to reset the bevel angles, however - but maybe that would not be a hardship. Your thoughts? Thank you!

[@Geo-Dome]

Ah yes a very interesting question, if we changed the angles to 30°/60°/90° we could only produce a flat tiled surface. The small difference in face angle makes it possible to tile a sphere. If I force the 90° angle the others have to be 31.7° and 58.3° respectively and form the faces of a Rhombic Triacontahedron divided in four. Hope this helps.

[@newcoisas3446]

Hello... how can I develop a large structure / dome with 60m in diameter, what would be the dimensions of aluminum tubes that I could use and what quantity would be

[@DavidPaulNewtonScott]

I am building a dome but covering it with polyethylene and growing ivy over it. No maintenance and the ivy will eventually become structural. I am doing the same thing in Portugal with cork oaks to produce a house that requires no heating or cooling at all.

[@romandecaesar4782]

Paul. Would it be possible to provide the plans in imperial measurements? Thank you.

[@adoby83]

Interesting structure! Thanks! It seems that it would be possible to build the dome using a combination of four corner kites and the two triangles only where you want the dome to meet the ground or a wall. Each kite is flat, the curve of the dome is created only where kites or single triangles meet. Would it weaken the dome a lot to take out the two middle sticks in each kite?

[@TheSkoomaHistorySociety007]

Hello does anyone know what measurements for the wooden beams/joists would be good here? (in mm if possible).

[@stevengarrett5953]

CAN I GET THE IMPERIAL MESUREMENTS. I LIKE THIS ONE BECAUSE IT LOOKS SIMPLE TO DO. THANK YOU

[@christianvanderstap6257]

I wonder if this will transform into a tunnel as neat as the dome itself. I really do like the way the triangles look in this dome.

[@markmergist7659]

Paul you a genius!

[@douglaskrummrey1175H]

Any updates to this? More details? looks great!

[@krissfemmpaws1029]

It would be nice to have Imperial measurements but not necessarily needed. I wonder what it would take to make this into a tunnel type structure? Being roughly 20 feet in diameter it's not enough room to build a 17 foot kayak and get around it. Adding 6 to 8 feet in the middle would be sweet.

[@Ludifant]

You can actually do this build a hoop house with two ends ending in a half dome. If you want an easier tunnel, look at the icosahedron. That middle part will just repeat endlessly giving you a tunnel.

[@ancapftw9113]

6900 mm, or 6.9 meters, or about 20 feet. Good size. I'll have to think about building one. Though I might alter it a bit to work with steel tubes instead of wood.

[@dariostarsky8124]

Are you planning on building one of those any time, Paul? Cheers for everything you do!!

[@audaverse]

Super cool Paul!

[@jimbaranski4687]

Can this be built from electrical conduit? The each conduit strut serves as a side to two panels. What is the biggest dome that can be made with 10 ft pieces of conduit? Each 10 ft piece of conduit usually gives you two struts of varying length. For a standard dome: Largest Dome made from 10’ stock: length of strut ( number of struts) = length of conduit piece; 64.198”(20) + 47.990”(30) = 115.188”; 61.350” (80) + 55.644” (35) = 119.994”. A 10 ft conduit is obviously 120” I got a bunch of conduit from an electrician who was retiring. I plan to sheath it in used boat heat shrink plastic and maybe spray foam the inside or outside. If you spray foam the outside, you can cover the foam with more plastic, and maybe dismantle the dome framework inside! I don’t know how strong that would be, though. 1.5” Added for strut ends

[@freemansoutdooradventures3152]

Great video

[@deannatroy8113]

Do you think it would be possible to have the panels made from PVC, and join them via a thin piece of rubber?

[@Wishwader]

Out of interest how rigid is this compared with a geodesic dome? I saw some stress testing somewhere in the past for a geodesic dome (may even have been this channel) so would be interesting to compare the strut stresses with this style of dome. Cheers.

[@Geo-Dome]

I would say more rigid, it has all great circles which will guid forces down to the ground. I would need to do some tests though.

[@Wishwader]

@@Geo-Dome If you do get around to testing this, I'd be more interested in how well it copes with some struts missing. So eg this dome (minus struts for door) vs traditional dome (minus struts for door). It wouldn't surprise me if this dome is stronger once the doorway is factored in!

[@Ludifant]

@@Geo-Dome I built a model in paper, seems to be quite floppy until you put the last bits in place and even then it doesn´t take a lot of side force. The shallow angle decagons have a tendency to invert.