Dome

Definition and History of Domes: Dome is an architectural element similar to a hollow upper half of a sphere. Cupola may refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. Domes have a long architectural lineage dating back to ancient Mesopotamia. Advancements in mathematics and materials have led to various dome types. Early history includes examples like Apache wigwams, igloos, and desert igloos of the Himba people. Stone domes from the Neolithic period found in the ancient Near East. Persian architecture inherited domebuilding tradition from Mesopotamia. Squinch invention allowed transition to octagonal bases for domes. Early Islamic domed mausoleums appeared in the tenth century. Seljuk Empires built various dome forms like conical, semicircular, and pointed shapes. Materials and Construction of Domes: Early domes were built with mudbrick, baked brick, and stone. Domes of wood allowed for wide spans due to their light and flexible nature. Over the centuries, domes have been constructed from materials such as wood, brick, concrete, metal, glass, and plastic. New materials and production techniques have led to innovative dome structures. Techniques like corbelling and squinches are used to bridge the base of the dome with supporting walls. Domes can be supported by an elliptical or circular wall called a drum. Drums tend to be thicker than the domes they support for small or tall domes with less horizontal thrust. Engineering and Architecture Aspects: Engineering focuses on structural behavior, while architecture focuses on form and symbolism. New materials and structural systems in the 20th century have allowed for large domeshaped structures. Domes with pendentives can be simple or compound. Pendentives concentrate the weight of a dome into the corners of the bay. Popular usage of the term ‘dome’ has expanded to mean almost any longspan roofing system. False domes achieve their shape by extending each horizontal layer of stones inward slightly farther than the lower one. The fields of engineering and architecture have lacked common language for domes. Symbolism and Acoustics of Domes: Domeshaped tombs were used across ancient cultures as a venerated home of the dead. Domes and tentcanopies symbolized the heavens in Ancient Persia and the HellenisticRoman world. Early Christians adopted the celestial symbolism of the dome in architecture and religious rituals. Domes in early Islam were associated with royalty and later became focal points for decoration or prayer. Domes reflect sound and create echoes due to their concave shape. Whispering galleries in domes can transmit sound to distant places within the gallery. Cavities in domes can diffuse sound, eliminate echoes, and create a divine atmosphere in worship spaces. Types and Shapes of Domes: Beehive domes consist of purely horizontal layers, differentiating them from true domes. Braced domes include ribbed, Schwedler, threeway grid, lamella, Kiewitt, lattice, and geodesic domes. Compound domes, crossedarch domes, ellipsoidal domes, geodesic domes, saucer domes, and umbrella domes are also common types. Different shapes like octagon, circular, and elliptical are used in dome designs. Each dome type has unique characteristics and structural considerations for supporting various architectural forms and functions.