The geodesic dome plays a huge role in modern engineering. It was first built by Walter Bauersfeld shortly after WWI for use in a planetarium he was building. R. Buckminster Fuller, about thirty years later, received the first patent for the dome and labeled it “geodesic.” The Cimatron, built in Missouri in 1960, is one of the best known geodesic domes. The Montreal Biosphere is also a notable dome.
The triangles in a geodesic dome give it most of its strength. The triangles distribute the load across the entire structure, so that there is less pressure on one certain point of the dome. These triangles make the geodesic dome the only man made structure that gets proportionally stronger as it gets larger, making it a very efficient structure. It also has an extremely high ratio of its interior volume to the weight of the structure. As well the geodesic dome doesn't rely on gravity and doesn't waste any of its materials.
Although the geodesic dome can possibly be made with angled hexagons, it is far stronger with the triangles. The curve of the dome makes it extremely aerodynamic even able to stand up to hurricane force winds with ease. What's more is that they can be constructed very cheaply easily by only a few people.
The geodesic dome is used for many different applications. It is commonly used for houses in tropical climates due to how cheap they are to make and how effective they are against the elements. They are also used in some greenhouses and nursery's because they are again very cheap but very stable. It is also commonly used for shows such as the World Fair.
The geodesic dome plays a major role in modern architecture and should continue for a while into the future.
