A Paper Geodesic Dome

Three domes

The same ideas can be used to build a dome made from triangular sheets of material instead of rods. The edges of the triangles simply have the same lengths as the rods did.

If we choose to use paper, we can print out a template on a printer, and then simply cut it out, fold it, and tape the edges together to get a dome.

You can print out the following page from the web site, or make a photocopy of it, enlarging it if you want a larger dome.

Complete dome

If you want an even larger paper dome, you can cut the drawing into smaller pieces, so when your printer resizes them to fit the page, you will have larger triangles. Use tape to reconnect the smaller pieces into one large piece. In the drawings below, I have duplicated the central pentagon to make it easy to see how they fit together. You will want to cut one pentagon away before taping the pieces together.

Left halfRight half

You can also cut the triangles out of cardboard or plywood, and tape them together, so that fiberglass can be applied to make a sturdy building.