The term we are analyzing can be found in two different disciplines, geology and architecture. As for its etymology, it comes from the French word dome, which means dome or rounded roof, a word that in turn comes from the Greek doma, which means to build or house.
in geology
Certain reliefs have wavy or domed shapes. This is due to the pressure of the rocks that, by exerting an internal force upwards, create a rounded rock formation.
There are several types of domes. Thus, some are formed from sediments that accumulate. Others are granitic in type as a result of erosion.
In some places there is a concentration of salt and due to this a salt dome is produced. In the ice caps there are so-called ice domes. On the surface of the moon it is also possible to find this type of rocky structure. In the craters of some volcanoes, lava flows are formed that end up having a rounded shape that covers the entire crater itself and when this occurs it is called a volcanic dome.
in architecture
The term dome is used in reference to the rounded shapes of the domes of some buildings. In this sense, dome-type houses offer a series of advantages: they are resistant to storms, they transmit an optical sensation of wide space on small surfaces and they allow adequate temperature regulation.
Dome houses are also known as geodesic houses. Among the many examples of world architecture, we could highlight the following: The climatron integrated in the St. Louis Botanical Garden in the state of Missouri or the Maloka Dome in Bogotá used for audiovisual projections. Geodesic domes are an original alternative to the traditional right angles of architecture.
It should not be forgotten, on the other hand, that the snow houses of the Eskimos, better known as igloos, are an ancient type of domestic domes (the utility of the igloo is based on the compressed snow used for its construction, which causes an increase in temperature inside.
These vaulted structures began to be built thousands of years ago as a storage system. With the passage of time, the domes were raised in their aesthetic and decorative dimension for all kinds of proposals: museums, churches, train stations, structures for children’s recreation, etc. Cement, steel or wood are some of the most used materials in domes.
Photos: Fotolia – Christian / Krzysztof Wiktor
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