PleatedStructures - Radial pleated dome

Radial pleated dome

Here are some models which illustrate the use of a radial pleating pattern:

Radial pleated suspended fabric dome

This model was constructed from a single flat sheet of polythene.

It makes use of the idea of blunt pleating.

There's an essay about this dome here.

Radial pleated suspended card dome

This model was constructed from a single flat sheet of gold- covered cardboard.

It uses a variation of the basic conical pleating pattern - with a "one up, two down" pattern - reminiscent of the pattern used in the wildwalk roof canopy.

These domes are all suspended - to produce a large internal clear span, uninterrupted by any supports.

Use of pleating potentially allows for relatively low profile roofs, with little chance of ponding.

The main idea here is to produce a low cost construction.

Costs are reduced by eliminating the need for patterning of the fabric - and by the use of simple poles for all structural elements.

Large single flat sheets of waterproof material are available for applications such as building polytunnels and lining ponds. These applications are common - resulting in good availability and low cost.

Radial pleated suspension/aspension card dome

This model was constructed from a single flat sheet of gold-covered cardboard.

The model uses floating masts to stabilise against second- and third-harmonic diaphragming - and create a more rounded, dome-like shape.

This model illustrates how it would be possible to create a pure aspension design. Such a design would be heavier, more expensive, and would not be so good at creating large spans - but it would dispense with the external supports required for a suspended design.

There's an essay about this dome here.