About Megadome

Bob Sanderson is the inventor of a system of paper or plastic hubs that link into small holes in the ends of straws to make models of geometric structures and geodesic domes.

Using this system, Megadome Construction Company built this 8 foot diameter, 8-frequency dome using over 1700 straws. It is hanging in the loft of the barn where Jonathan's Sprouts, has grown sprouts for New England supermarkets and restaurants since 1976.

The three piece hub makes space frames such as the  tower at right and the booth (at far right) at the American International Toy Show at the Javitz Convention Center in New York City in February, 2004

To the right here is a drawing of the patented space frame hub. First insert part 3 into part 2, then insert the 3-2 combo into part 1. The three parts lock together with the groove shown in the blow-up. Photo to the far right shows a hub put together. 
This is the patented dome hub, which can connect any number of struts

The hub consists of a strip of foldable segments. Segments can be removed or added to connect any number of struts (see drawing to right). This can be used to make stellated, reinforced or any kind of dome you can imagine.
The photo at left is a 2-frequency triacon inside a Bucky-ball. Click on the image to see a blowup of the photograph.
Megadome Construction Company is always playing with hubs and struts. This stellated dodecahedron Christmas ornament is made of PVC pipe, strings of lights and a hub of threaded rod and PVC fittings. To get an idea how you might make one, study the hub at left.