Some of the best engineering ideas: Houston Dome

Houston, the fourth most populated city in the USA, has always been an easy target for hurricanes. Moreover, it is also one of the hottest cities in the country. Both of these issues are costing the city a tremendous amount of money. In addition to the lost of resources, billions of dollars are spent on recoveries from hurricanes. Furthermore, the hot temperature is costing the city to burn a massive amount of electricity. To overcome these issues, engineers are suggesting building a dome over the city.

Because of the height and size of the dome, cranes and scaffolding aren’t practical. Engineers are planning on using heavy-lift helicopters and a new type of helium-filled dirigible to move pre-assembled pieces to the top of the 1,500-foot high dome.

The structure is made of hexagons stacked in a honeycomb pattern. But to make the surface curve, 12 pentagons are strategically positioned to give the surface a dome shape.

Massive doors can be closed to insulate the city from hurricanes and other inclement weather. A concrete foundation ring 3.1 miles around anchors the dome deep into the ground.

At the Dome's highest point, an array of hinged panels can be opened to provide ventilation, help regulate temperature, clear humidity or pollution and reduce the load on the dome's air treatment systems. They can even be used to free captive birds.

Rather than using glass, engineers are using a strong and lightweight plastic called ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, or ETFE. The triple-layered surface weighs just 1 percent as much as glass, won’t shatter, can be easily repaired and will gently drift down to earth like a feather if it comes loose from the dome’s frame.

ETFE made its big splash in the architecture scene with its use in Beijing’s National Aquatic Center for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The Houston dome’s surface area will stretch over 21 million square feet, making it the biggest structure with the largest roof in the world. More than 369,000 narrow steel struts form the frame, and almost 75,000 of them could fail before the dome becomes unstable.

Large helium-filled air ships would be used during construction to help hold the dome’s shape until the structure is complete and freestanding. One of these fuel-efficient ships can stay aloft for hours and carry a 4,100-pound payload

This idea was stolen from the Simpsons show. I am not sure how doable this is, but it looks really interesting. It might cost a fortune to build this but it will surely save money in the long run. Besides, it will be a great piece of architecture and will attract tourists from all over the world.