Camp CONTACT utilizes a 30′ in Diameter Dome as one of its Dance Floors. The assembly of this dome is time consuming but has been enhanced through practice. This outlines our Top Down procedure for putting the dome together. It requires between one and ten (or more) people during the various stages of the assembly, but there are four key roles: Bolter, Bolter #2 (optional), Staging, Bolt provider, for twelve phases of assembly. The structure of the dome is from Desert Domes and appears here.
Staging
Phase I (First Pentagon)
Retrieve five yellow and five red chords, and provide them to the assembly team.
Phase II (Blue Triangles with Red bases)
Retrieve ten blue and five orange chords. Provide two blue and one orange chord at each of the five corners of the pentagon.
Phase III (Start the Purple Triangles)
Retrieve ten purple and ten green chords, and provide two purple and two green chords at each of the corners where the two blue chords will come together to form a triangle.
Phase IV (Green and Orange intersections)
Retrieve ten green and five orange chords, and provide two green and one orange chord at each of the places where there are already two green and one orange chord set to come together.
Phase V (Complete the purple triangles)
Retrieve five purple chords. Distribute one purple chord in between each of the existing purple chords. Then retrieve twenty blue and ten green chords. Distribute two blue and one green chord at each end of an existing purple chord.
Phase VI (Pentagon tops)
Retrieve ten red and five yellow chords. Distribute two red and one yellow chord at each empty orange chord.
Phase VII (Repeat of Green and Orange intersections)
Retrieve ten green and five orange chords, and provide two green and one orange chord at each of the places where there are already two green and one orange chord set to come together.
Phase VIII (Flesh out the pentagons)
Retrieve ten blue, ten red and ten yellow chords. Distribute one blue, red and yellow chord at each existing red chord.
Phase IX (Put the centers in the pentagons)
Retrieve the remaining ten yellow chords and distribute two each near the existing, open ended clusters of three yellow chords.
Phase X (Complete the pentagons)
Retrieve the remaining five red chords. Distribute the five red chords between each of the existing open ended red chords. Retrieve twenty blue chords and ten orange chords. Distribute two blue chords and one orange chord at each open ended red chord.
Phase XI (Purple triangles at base)
Retrieve the remaining fifteen purple chords, and ten green chords. Distribute three purple chords and two green chords in the are between each pentagon around the circle.
Phase XII (The Base!)
Distribute the remaining green chords around each space between two open ended chords.
Bolter #1
Phase I (First Pentagon)
Construct a pentagon with yellow chords coming to the center and red chords creating the outline of the pentagon. The short bolt is used for the center of the five yellow chords. The long bolts should connect one yellow and two red chords, with three more chords to be added at each intersection in phase II.
Phase II (Blue Triangles with red bases)
Attach the two blue and the one orange chords at each corner of the pentagon. The orange chord comes down in-line with the yellow chord from the pentagon, the blues jut out to form a triangle with the red edges and blue chords jutting out from the neighboring intersection. Do this five times for each corner of the pentagon.
Phase III (Start the Purple Triangles)
Put long bolts through the two blue chords to form a triangle , then add two green chords jutting out and two purple chords in-line with the existing blue chords. Do this five times for each corner of the pentagon.
Phase IV (Green and Orange intersections)
Put long bolts through the orange and two green chords from dome, and add orange and two green chords in line with existing chords. Do this five times for each corner of the pentagon.
Phase V (Complete the purple triangles)
Put long bolts through existing purple and green chords. Add the purple chord, then put in two blue and one green chord. The new green chord is in line with the existing green chord, the two new blue chords go in-line opposite the purple chords. While the left corner of a purple triangle is being assembled, Bolter #2 can assemble the same arrangement on the right corner of the purple triangle. Do this five times for each purple triangle.
Phase VI (Pentagon tops)
Put long bolts through existing orange and two blue chords. Add a Red, Yellow, and a Red chord, with the yellow in line with the existing orange chord. Do this five times for each collection of orange blue and blue chords.
Phase VII (Repeat of Green and Orange intersections)
Put long bolts through the orange and two green chords from dome, and add orange and two green chords in line with existing chords. Do this five times for each corner of the pentagon.
Phase VIII (Flesh out the pentagons)
At each red chord, put long bolts through the existing red, blue and orange intersections. Add blue, red and yellow chords to form the pentagon. Bolter #2 can assist by working on the opposite side of the pentagon. There are ten intersections that need to be completed.
Phase IX (Put the centers in the pentagons)
Using short bolts, connect five yellow chords together, three from the existing structure and two new ones.
Phase X (Complete the pentagons)
Attach the two blue chords and the one orange chord at each remaining corner of the pentagon, along with the red base of the pentagon. The orange chord comes down in-line with the yellow chord from the pentagon, the blues jut out for later use. Do this ten times, twice for each pentagon. Bolter #2 can work on the opposite side of the pentagon from Bolter #1.
Phase XI (Purple triangles at base)
Put a bolt through the existing two blue and one green chord, and add the top purple chord and a side purple chord to create a triangle, as well as a green chord, in line with the existing green chord. Bolter #2 can work on the opposite side of the triangle from Bolter #1.
Phase XII (The Base!)
Using short bolts, connect the free green chords to the various existing chords. Many people can work on this. Keep the Blue triangles (with red tops) and the purple triangles intact, and remember that orange and green connect together at the base to create triangles as well.
Bolt Provider
Phase I
Provide one short and five long bolts.
Formation Manager
Phase II
Provide a crate to rest the pentagon on.
Phase IV
Use the ladder to support the the top pentagon.
Phase VI
Have people help hold the form of the dome. Utilize spare chords to push out sections of the dome to keep it out.
Heuristics!
Yellow is only used for the inside of pentagons.
Red is only used for the outside of pentagons.
Orange is only connected in line with other oranges or yellows.
Green is only connected in line with green.
Purple is only connected in line with blue (but not visa versa).
Two blue chords only form triangles with red bases
Two Purple chords only form triangles with purple.
Two Green chords only form triangles with a purple base.
Bolts don’t have to be made super tight.