24 November 2011

Geodesic Magic – There’s No Place Like Dome

Geodesic domes have been with us for over fifty years but are still hardly common. Partly or fully spherical, they consist of a shell of great circles which rest upon the top of a sphere. Here are some of the more famous on the planet.

The Montreal Biosphere
The World Fair of 1967 was a fair old time ago but one extreme example of recycling old buildings is the Montreal Biosphere which is now the home of an environmental museum. The original acrylic shells that enclosed the dome are now gone – the steel remains however. At the time of the World Fair the building housed the longest ever escalator (thirty seven meters in length).

Unfortunately a 1976 fire destroyed the acrylic shells but the building was bought by Environment Canada in 1980 and it is now an interactive museum. One of the highlights of a visit to Montreal, the museum is devoted to showing people about how the Great Lakes ecosystem can be developed in a sustainable way – this is done through a variety of exhibitions and interactive pieces.

The Eden Project
Welcome to the largest Greenhouse in the world. If Swine Flu kills ninety nine percent of us this winter then the survivors could do far worse than to head down to this set of artificial biomes in which the ecosystems of the world are recreated. Each dome is constructed from a few pentagons plus hundreds of hexagons that connect the whole structure together. Opened to the public in 2001 this has all the elements of a classic geodesic dome. This is a partly spherical structure that has a network of large circles (known as geodesics) which lie on a sphere. The geodesics form elements in the shape of triangles that have great rigidity and also make sure that stress is distributed evenly across the whole structure.

The whole set of structures was built in an unused clay pit. The main sphere contains a reproduction of a rain forest and such plants as bananas, rubber and coffee are grown within. It looks like something out of a science fiction film and true enough, the original clay pit was used to film the Magrathea locations for the 1980s BBC series Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Nowadays, of course, it looks rather different – perhaps even more alien.


TELUS World of Science
Although most Vancouver residents still call it Science World, the above is the new name for this amazing geodesic dome which is the home to a great many permanent science displays. It also has a variety of different exhibitions throughout the years.

It could have been worse. The original new name was Telusphere but people hated it so much that it had to be rechristened. Still, it remains a popular Vancouver tourist destination and a particular if peculiar shape on the skyline of the city.

Sweet Home Missouri
So far we have seen a number of large domes used to facilitate events for large numbers of the general public. Of course, there is always the option of adopting the design for domestic use. This house in Corder, Missouri uses exactly the same science as the other examples we have seen so far – but for uses that are much more down to earth. It has an almost fairy tale look to it, despite the regularity of the shape of its domed roof.

The Union Tank Car Company
The American Architect Buckminster Fuller is recognized as the modern father of the geodesic dome in architecture. He was responsible for the Montreal dome. In 1958 his designs were used to take create the then revolutionary Union Tank Car Company dome in Baton Rouge. The above is the dome the year later, 1959.

It is a shame that the good people of Louisiana decided to demolish this piece of history in the year 2007. The pictures here show it rusting away, abandoned, its environs being reclaimed by nature in 2004. The building itself broke many records at the time, including those for enclosed surface space and volume, not to mention the speed at which it was constructed. In centuries to come, perhaps this could have become an iconic building.

Spaceship Earth
Included here ever so slightly grudgingly as Disney chose not to give Buckminster Fuller any credit for the design of this (OK, remarkable) structure. An enormous eighteen storeys in height this takes visitors on a trip through the history of the planet and is one of the most recognizable structures of the Americas. The thirteen minute ride shows how human communications has developed over time. This is not surprising really, as since its inception the ride has been sponsored by a variety of multinational telecommunications companies.

Remarkable in the day time, it takes on a whole new set of characteristics in the evening.


The Nagoya Dome
We have seen a museum and a great big green-house but geodesic domes can be used to house more popular entertainment. One such example is the Nagoya Dome of Japan. It is the headquarters of the Chunichi Dragons, one of the country’s leading baseball teams (a sport they picked up in the American occupation of 1945 onwards). The dome does not look huge from the outside but it can seat over forty thousand people. Looking at it from the outside, who would believe that the picture below was of its interior?


Missouri Botanical Gardens
The Climatron was built in 1960. If you have ever seen the film Silent Running, set in the future when the remnants of the earth’s forests have been placed in to huge domes in space, then you will not be surprised to learn that these domes inspired the creative minds at work on the movie.

It was the first ever greenhouse of this size to be built as a geodesic dome and beat the Eden Project in the UK by more than forty years. It recreates a lowland rain forest in all of its beauty. The people of Missouri are very lucky people, not only for the Climatron but for the beautiful botanical gardens that surround it.

Inside, the visitor is transported almost to another world.

The Matrimandir
At the heart of the experimental city of Auroville (in India) is the Matrimandir. Auroville is an experiment – where people from all over the world can live in harmony with each other. The Matrimandir houses a huge crystal and silence is maintained in its environs at all time to facilitate meditation. The city of Auroville is intended to be a utopian community and model for the rest of the world.


Apologies if your own favorite geodesic dome has been omitted. Please comment below and I will attempt to add them on!

31 August 2011

The Wanderings of the WEEE Man

People around the United Kingdom have been in for a big surprise. A seven meter three tonne metal man has been wandering in their midst. Who (or what) is he and why is he here? Is the Earth about to stand still? Hardly, but like Klaatu he brings a message to which we should really listen!

Asking people to think about waste is sometimes difficult – you might even say it can be a waste of time. People do not like to be preached at. So how on earth do you make a European Union Directive interesting enough to grab people’s attention? Through art? Well, it’s worth a shot! A mysterious seven meter creature was born.

So here is the result – WEEE man! On average a citizen of the United Kingdom will produce 3.3 tonnes of waste in their lifetime. At the same time that sounds like an enormous amount but, considering our lifestyles in the West it does seem rather small at the same time. This is only, in reality, a fraction of the waste that one person creates. In fact, it only represents the electrical waste that will be produced by an individual in their lifetime. The WEEE man weighs in at this exact weight – and as such offers a direct insight in to the enormity of the problem.

What is he made of? Firstly, large household appliances, such as washing machines and television sets make up a large part of his structure. Then there are smaller objects, such as toaster, irons, and other electrical tools. There is lighting equipment and automatic dispensers, IT and telecoms equipment and toys and leisure items, all making up this latter-day Frankenstein’s monster of Brobdingnagian proportions. This guy is big! Waste is no longer out of sight, out of mind. The hope is that his birth will make people think about their behavior when it comes to disposing of the electrical equipment they no longer want.

People still do not consider recycling sufficiently. To draw attention to this the British Royal Society of Arts started to think – and think big. Hugh Knowles Mark Fremantle, both Fellows of the RSA developed the idea in tandem with Giraffe Innovation. The result was WEEE man – seven meters tall and, yes, over three tones in weight. He is a scary looking guy – hardly the ‘wee’ man you might imagine if you were told you were to be introduced to him at the bar after work! Wee, of course, is Scottish slang for someone of diminutive stature – and this wonderful play on words is integral to the impact of this work of art.

At the risk of sounding like a cosmetic ad, here’s the science (or at least the boring bit – the reason why WEEE man was created in the first instance. WEEE actually stands for the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) which became European Law way back in 2003. Its aim was to set targets for the collection, recovery and (mais bien sur!) the recycling of any and all types of electrical equipment.

The law recognizes that it is not the sole responsibility of the buyer to dispose of their electrical equipment once it has become redundant. Rather it is the equal responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure that their customers can return their WEEE with ease – and for nothing. Additionally, the organizations mist use the collected materials in a way that is ecologically friendly – which means no more selling off the used goods to poorer nations to bury a few meters below the ground and ruin the water table for the local inhabitants.

So, the WEEE man was considered a good way to draw attention to this. After all, out of all the European Union Member States only little Cyprus managed to meet the deadline to place this Directive in to their own national law. The UK (and its usual tagalong play mate Malta) were the only two member states not to transpose a framework of the regulations at the very least in to their national law. Step forward the Royal Society of Arts with a reminder of the governmental responsibilities – and we are not talking a post-it note on the PC monitor here, either!

Once the point had been made, at the South Bank in the heart of London, WEEE man now finds a home at the marvelous Eden Project in Cornwall. There he remains (but will be on tour soon), a colossal reminder of the waste that we produce and a nudge to our consciences that we must do something about it. How he has managed to encourage discussion around our throw-away consumer society could never properly be quantified. However, something this big gets noticed and hopefully this WEEE man has made people think about their choices when it comes to the disposal and recycling of our waste.

24 October 2010

95ers: Echoes - Uber Cool Ultra Indie Film Making


You should really take a look at this if you are interested in science fiction, independent film making – or indeed both. You wouldn’t want to feel left out when everyone else is talking about this, would you? In fact, you should probably be the first to talk about this.

95ers: Echoes is an ultra independent film making project. Driven by Tom Durham (the Director) and his wife Ali (who plays the lead role in the movie) this is as near to the definition of a labor of love that I have ever come across. For four years they have been working on this project and now the movie is almost completely finished. The sneak previews of the movie look like it will be something special – particularly because of (or perhaps, with apologies, despite) its ultra indie roots. The quality looks like mainstream film making and this project could really, really work.

The plot is classic science fiction fare. Sally (above) can rewind time a few seconds. Moment can be redone until they come out the way that she wants them.  As you can imagine this talent can come in handy. She works at the FBI and her life is under control not least because of this ability she has had since she was a child. However her scientist husband mysteriously disappears and then strangers appear who seem to know her abilities, possess technology from beyond our time and they soon determine their target – Sally herself. She must find the truth about what is going on before the very fabric of her being fades to nothing.

The story of the making of the movie could almost be a movie in itself. They had no money, no time and no friends in high places – certainly three prerequisites for getting a movie made these days (well, at any point in the history of cinema to be honest).

As well as that, this husband and wife team has four children, full time jobs and responsibilities. It must have taken an incredible amount of self-belief to get this far and they do come across as people who are totally sold on their own idea which is the first step in making it so (sorry, Jean Luc). The movie has represented a very long and hard road for both of them , involving guerilla shooting, going broke, grey hairs in abundance (so they say, they both look glowingly healthy!) – yet it still needs an extra push to get there. Let’s hand over to them to explain the situation.



The movie is now in post production, thanks to lots of things including a second mortgage not to mention generous family members. Tom and Ali are still looking for sponsors to help out with this final part of the project - as well as for people to simply spread the word.

For more information, take a look at their 95ers website. There is lots of information there about the project as a whole as well as how you can donate.  The pair are not asking for something for nothing, however.  There are loads of goodies that you can get by donating.  An evening out with Ali is not one of them - before you ask, gentlemen!

25 September 2010

Chester Zoo – New Biodome, the Heart of Africa

Image Provided by Chester Zoo - with thanks
Chester Zoo in the North West of England has been given the green light for an ambitious new biodome project which is to be known as The Heart of Africa. This underlines the zoo’s ambition to become a major force in the conservation of biodiversity on a global basis but – of course – to also attract the crowds that will make this ambition a reality with their hard cash.

 Image Provided by Chester Zoo
As far as speculating to accumulating goes, this is a project on a grand scale. The dome will contain – among many others, an insurance breeding population of the Lowland Gorilla. This means that there will be a gene pool different to that in the wild which can, at some point, be reintroduced to bolster that of the wild population.

 Image Courtesy of Chester Zoo
Yet while the gorillas at the zoo now have what you might call a traditional enclosure, their new home will be a vast rainforest setting, which will also house other species in their natural setting too.

At first sight it may look like an Eden Project in the North and while the EP does magnificent work, the Heart of Africa biodome takes advantage of more recent technological advances and has a wider ranging remit. Visitors will remain unobtrusive and the animals will be able to live in comparative undisturbed peace while allowing the human visitors an emotionally engaging visit.

There are naysayers for this kind of project, of course, who say that while the real Congo is under threat then it is there that investment should be made in order to sustain that environment for future generations. However, the Chester Zoo biodome will enable millions to visit a realistic rain forest while avoiding the real one. As the Galapagos has shown, ecotourism is not always good for the environment it purports to protect. A visit to the biodome may disincline people to go and see (and potentially spoil) the real thing while encouraging them perhaps to invest to help protect its future.

The dimensions of the new biodome are staggering. It will be 16,000 square meters in size and 34 meters in height and has been designed by the architects Procter and Matthews. Visitors will transfer from the Cheshire countryside to the heat of a Congolese rainforest, together with its 80 percent humidity.

As well as the gorillas, the biodome will be home to a group of chimpanzees and the shy okapi, a relative of the giraffe. Add Diana monkeys, crocodiles (in the biodome’s water feature) and pygmy hippos and it looks like the Chester Zoo biodome will be an awe-inspiring experience. And then there’s the insects...

Note: the animals pictured here are for illustrative purposes and are not current residents at Chester zoo.  The biodome has yet to be built!