Houston skyline.
Credit: RJN | ©Wikimedia Commons
Domed cities have been a staple of science fiction for almost since there has been science fiction. A recent episode of the Discovery Channel's Mega Engineering show imagines what it would take to build a dome over the modern city of Houston.
Domed cities have usually been imagined to have been built on some other world, like the Moon or Mars, or on a post Apocalypse Earth. However some people have dreamed of putting a dome over Houston for decades. A visit to Houston during the summer, when 90 plus degree heat and tropical humidity combine to make an outdoor environment that is, politely stated, character building would demonstrate why.
The prose in the program is just a little purple about hurricanes and environmental horrors brought on by too much green house gasses caused by too much air conditioning. Throwing up a dome over downtown Houston may have its virtues. But Galveston, closer to the coast and far more susceptible to hurricane damage, might be more deserving of a hurricane proof dome first. And expanding nuclear power might alleviate some of the greenhouse gasses, though most of Houston's power comes from natural gas, with wind mills coming on as a major new source of energy. The plan does not address any pollution caused by the petrochemical and oil refining facilities that dot the landscape around Houston.
Still, the concept described of a dome over down town Houston is very impressive.
"The dome would be higher than Houston's tallest skyscrapers and stretch over 21 million square feet, making it the biggest structure with the largest roof in the world.
"It would be made out of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene or ETFE. Glass will not work because it would be too heavy.
"ETFE weighs just 1 percent as much as glass. It won't break, can easily be repaired and can withstand winds of 180 miles per hour. ETFE was successfully used in Beijing's National Aquatic Centerfor the 2008 Summer Olympics.
"The dome would consist of hexagon-shaped panels stacked in a honeycomb pattern. To create the dome shape, 12 pentagon-shaped panels would be strategically placed throughout the structure."
Domed cities have usually been imagined to have been built on some other world, like the Moon or Mars, or on a post Apocalypse Earth. However some people have dreamed of putting a dome over Houston for decades. A visit to Houston during the summer, when 90 plus degree heat and tropical humidity combine to make an outdoor environment that is, politely stated, character building would demonstrate why.
The prose in the program is just a little purple about hurricanes and environmental horrors brought on by too much green house gasses caused by too much air conditioning. Throwing up a dome over downtown Houston may have its virtues. But Galveston, closer to the coast and far more susceptible to hurricane damage, might be more deserving of a hurricane proof dome first. And expanding nuclear power might alleviate some of the greenhouse gasses, though most of Houston's power comes from natural gas, with wind mills coming on as a major new source of energy. The plan does not address any pollution caused by the petrochemical and oil refining facilities that dot the landscape around Houston.
Still, the concept described of a dome over down town Houston is very impressive.
"The dome would be higher than Houston's tallest skyscrapers and stretch over 21 million square feet, making it the biggest structure with the largest roof in the world.
"It would be made out of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene or ETFE. Glass will not work because it would be too heavy.
"ETFE weighs just 1 percent as much as glass. It won't break, can easily be repaired and can withstand winds of 180 miles per hour. ETFE was successfully used in Beijing's National Aquatic Centerfor the 2008 Summer Olympics.
"The dome would consist of hexagon-shaped panels stacked in a honeycomb pattern. To create the dome shape, 12 pentagon-shaped panels would be strategically placed throughout the structure."
Comments
I could see doming specific sites... kind of like for Katrina where people all rushed to the sports stadium. However, we quickly saw what a bad idea that was. I don't see a domed city in my life time.
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