Mega Engineering, The Houston Dome.

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Plans are in the works to build a massive geodesic dome over the city of Houston TX. The plan is to completely dome in the city preventing disasters like hurricanes from causing citywide damage.

But will it work?

Houston Dome: Mega-Engineering

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The concept for this plan comes from a man named Buckminster Fuller

Using hexagonal balloons made of space age material the dome will purportedly be safe in the event of one of the sections tearing loose and falling (unlike glass)

So is the idea of geodesic domes the cure for devastating hurricanes in areas near the gulf of Mexico?

How about living inside the dome? Someday, will a child look up at their parent and ask "What is rain?"

Originally posted by whatukno
How about living inside the dome? Someday, will a child look up at their parent and ask "What is rain?"

Actually if it is that huge there will probably be rain, and clouds. Now there would have to be some very clever ways of cleaning the air or else those clouds will have very high levels of pollution and you would basically have permanent acid rain But they must of thought of that.

reply to post by Now_Then


Yes, vents in the top and bottom of the dome will open to facilitate convection of air currents.

I just think it would be strange if they for some reason started putting domes up around major cities.

Wonder what would happen when people started spray painting graffiti on the dome?

Thats all well and spectacular, but exactly who would foot the bill for something like this?

I can't see it being beneficial for the cities occupants to try to cover the bill. They'd simply set up shop elsewhere.
Sadly, I just don't see this being built.

It would have been neat to see though.

This would be neat to see but I think they should try building a dome around another...smaller gulf city if they are really trying to prevent hurricane damage. I live on the gulf and everytime we get a hurricane it's almost certain it's a mandatory evacuation. The biggest city I live near isn't anywhere the size of houston... it might prove a better place to have a "dome trial" of sorts.

Thinking about Houston domed up like that makes me think of Logan's Run or FF:TSW

It sounds like someone has been watching the simpsons movie to much.

Did they also say their opening the first domedepot, for all your dome needs, dome wax and dome polish.

I saw that the other night and the first thing that came to mind was greenhouse. Their theory about the cooling don't hold water with me. I don't know how they would hold up to tornadoes either.

Reminds me of my predictions thread www.abovetopsecret.com...

Cities are domed with some sort of plasma cap. The caps will moderate the climate and other conditions (temperature, CO2 and Oxygen, electromagnetism, light spectrum, air quality, radiation shielding, ultraviolet rays etc.) of the domes, as well as having detection devices to monitor these factors. There will be NO 'natural' weather inside these domes.

As a native Houstonian, this is scarey!

What about getting into/out of the thing?

Border patrol, "terrorist threats," and lockdowns are all things to consider.

Do the people that are living under the proposed site have any say, yay or nay?

It is a strange thing to consider.

Think about hurricanes, when everyone used to be told to get out they instead will be instructed to go inside the dome.

What happens if something goes wrong with the entrance doors?

To say "Plans are in the works to build a dome over Houston" is a bit misleading.

Sure, there are engineers who have proposed how something like this could be done, but that's a different thing than saying "plans are in the works".

There are no plans to do this -- only some engineers who have gone through the exercise of thinking through the details (which is in itself a worthwhile and educational endeavor.)

reply to post by Soylent Green Is People


Does that not indicate planning in the midst of being worked on?

I just wonder about the ramifications of doming any major city. Will it work? What are the pros and cons? What problems might occur?