Project Overview

Pillow domes were invented by Jay Baldwin. See also the film "Ecological Design: Inventing the Future". He took 2 layers of DuPont's Tefzel film and heat sealed them together. He then took these triangular shaped "air" pillows and attached them to the triangular frame of a geodesic dome. Once these thin film layers were attached to the dome's frame, he injected a gas into the pillows.

These Pillow Domes have a tremendous potential for providing durable, transparent environmental enclosing structures while using a minimum amount of material. They would be ideal for enclosing, for example, water purification systems like those being developed by Dr. John Todd. (See the material at Living Technologies web pages.)

I am currently working with students at the State University of New York (SUNY), Oswego campus to construct a 25 foot diameter pillow dome. Together with Prof. John Belt, I hope to construct this dome with the students early next year. Jay Baldwin will be assisting us as our technical consultant.

Some of the advantages of a pillow dome over conventional dome construction are

There are "problems" with pillow domes which need further investigation. These include

List of Project Components...

Here is a Table of Contents style list for the Pillow Dome Project components which I am exploring.

NOTE: Jay reminds us that a key element in any dome project is the foundation upon which the dome will be attached. With the air flow over the surface of the dome you can get a large *lifting* force on the dome. If it is not securely fastened to the ground it *will* blow away.


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