The Dome Raising

on October 9, 2002
was a tremendous success. Thank you to
Timberline Geodesics for the dome and all those volunteers.

Timberline Geodesics has graciously donated a 28' diameter, 18' high wooden frame geodesic dome which we have erected in the lobby of the Project Artaud Theatre.

For more than 30 years, Timberline Geodesics has been dedicated to designing Timberline Geodesic Dome packages that make it easy, practical and affordable for people to construct their own homes. They are a leading manufacturer and designer of geodesic domes used for housing and commercial applications. Based in Berkeley, CA since 1969, Timberline had domes built in all fifty states and many foreign countries. They can be reached at 1-800-DOME-HOME (1-800-366-3466) or check out their site and explore how you can build your very own Dome Home.

Ruth Asawa

Featured in the dome are two wire mesh sculptures by Ruth Asawa (at left). Ruth Asawa’s teachers, among them Buckminster Fuller, taught her “that there is no separation between studying, performing the daily chores of living, and creating one’s own work.” She has lived that philosophy in a career that has combined success as an artist, a mother, and a driving force in the introduction of art programs into local schools. In San Francisco her public commissions include the Mermaid Fountain at Ghiradelli Square and the Hyatt Fountain at Union Square. Her sculptures are also included in the permanent collections of the Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, and the Oakland Museum, where she has had an acclaimed retrospective entitled “Completing the Circle.”

About Geodesic Domes

A dome is the safest, strongest and most energy efficient building structure. It takes less building materials to enclose usable living or working areas in a dome than any other shaped structure. A dome house is dome house is extremely safe, because it lacks the eaves that allow wind to channel under a roof and rip off during a hurricane or tornado. Domes are able to withstand heavy snow loads and high extremes in temperature. The low centers of gravity and even weight distribution also allow the house to hold up during earthquakes because it moves with the earth as it shakes.Some of the most popular geodesic domes known today are:

1. The Montreal Expo Dome created in 1967 by Bucky and dedicated to his wife Anne.
2. The main entrance at EPCOT Center at Disney World in Florida
3. The Tacoma Dome in Washington State (at 530 feet in diameter, it is the largest public geodesic dome covering a football field and stands)
4. Minneapolis Convention Center, expanding to 500,000 square feet, under four low-profile domes
5. Milwaukee's Mitchell Park Conservatory with three geodesic domes sitting on elliptical bases that provide tropical flower gardens all year round
6. The Biosphere desert project in Arizona
7. The Des Moines Arboretum, a self-contained ecosphere
8. The Los Angeles city housing projects, with over two dozen domes; in addition there are thousands of family residences and "cabins" throughout North America.

Bucky Fuller was commissioned by the United States government to erect the famous dome at the World's Fair - Expo '67/Montreal. Click here for more info about Bucky's Expo 67 dome.

GENI: Global Energy Network Institute
Two decades ago, both the United Nations and Buckminster Fuller determined that a sufficient supply of electricity provides the foundation for a decent standard of living. By tapping the planet's abundant renewable energy, the needs of all humanity could be met in an environmentally sustainable fashion. The technology exists today, and it is cost competitive.
GENI is a non-profit educational organization which seeks to accelerate the attainment of optimal, ecologically sustainable energy solutions. Check out the GENI website for more information.

Why is Foghouse producing the Bucky show?
Go BACKSTAGE to find out more about the background and development of this amazing show.