dome
Enable an AI agent to recognise a dome, record its geometry and physical state, and identify uses or interventions that require evidence or specialist assessment.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
Researched by: Codex + Grok
Purpose and description
Enable an AI agent to recognise a dome, record its geometry and physical state, and identify uses or interventions that require evidence or specialist assessment.
A dome is a self-supporting, typically hemispherical or near-hemispherical structural enclosure whose shell carries load primarily in membrane compression, used as a roof, building, or protective cover.
It can be Identify and delimit a dome assembly within a building or enclosure.; Compare documented geometry with a survey and flag unexplained differences.; Map deterioration, leakage and deformation to dome components and locations.; Locate inspection routes and openings subject to recorded access restrictions.; Screen proposed penetrations, attachments or support changes for required technical review.; Record permissible operating configurations and their documented prerequisites for movable or pressure-supported domes..
Distinguishing features
Check whether the overall covering rises toward a crown across its footprint, rather than repeating an arch profile along an extended axis as a barrel vault does.
Check whether a faceted form approximates a dome envelope or consists of planar roof faces meeting at a distinct apex; do not classify every pyramidal roof as a dome.
Distinguish an externally visible dome from an interior domed ceiling, and establish whether they are separate assemblies.
Check whether a small cupola is an independent assembly or a component atop a larger dome; record that relationship rather than assuming the terms are interchangeable.
Distinguish geometric appearance from construction: a dome-shaped covering may use a shell, ribs, a lattice or a tensioned membrane.
Scope
+ The dome's footprint, rise, profile, crown and relationship to the space it covers
+ The shell, ribs, frame, panels or membrane that form the dome assembly
+ Base restraint, bearing interfaces and dome-specific load-transfer arrangements
+ Openings, weather protection and equipment integrated into the dome
+ Observed condition, operating configurations and constraints on access or alteration
- The complete building, its programme and spaces beyond the dome's interface
- Foundations and supporting walls or columns beyond their connection to the dome
- Independent lighting, ventilation or astronomical equipment housed beneath the dome
- Site-wide planning, utilities and emergency management
- Geological domes, anatomical domes and dome-shaped products unless the registry explicitly includes them
Characteristics
- Referent and assembly role
- structural covering | external enclosure | interior ceiling | combined | unresolved Prevents visible dome geometry from being mistaken for the structure carrying it.
- Footprint geometry
- circular | elliptical | polygonal | irregular | unresolved Establishes the plan boundary and the meaning of span measurements.
- Principal spans
- m, with axes and clear-span or support-centre convention Records the extent covered without assuming a single diameter describes every dome.
- Rise
- m above an identified base or springing datum Makes the crown height and relative shallowness assessable.
- Surface profile
- measured or documented profile; smooth or faceted; classification unresolved where necessary Separates observed shape from an unsupported assumption that the dome is hemispherical.
- Construction system
- masonry | continuous shell | ribbed | lattice or space frame | membrane | hybrid | unresolved Determines which components, connections and condition evidence must be recorded.
- Support and restraint arrangement
- identified bearings, base rings, ties, anchors and supporting assemblies Locates the interfaces that must be understood before changing the dome or its supports.
- Openings and crown attachments
- identified oculi, lanterns, hatches, vents, shutters and their connection locations Records interruptions and attachments relevant to enclosure performance, access and alteration.
- Condition evidence
- dated and located observations of cracking, displacement, material loss, leakage or connection damage; unobserved areas explicit Supports comparison over time without turning an observation into an unsupported safety judgement.
- Operating configuration
- fixed | movable | pressure-supported | other documented configuration; current position or operating status where applicable Identifies whether movement or maintained pressure is part of the dome's intended operation.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.dome
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 5 bundles · 9 layers · 9 findings · 18 questions.
Dome identity and geometry Establishes what is being called a dome and the geometry that bounds it.
A dome's visible shape does not by itself establish its assembly boundary, construction or relationship to an interior ceiling.
Assembly identity
Identifies the physical referent and its relationship to adjacent coverings.
Dome referent
Record which covering or enclosure the name denotes and whether visible inner and outer forms belong to the same assembly.
- Does dome denote the external roof, an interior ceiling, the load-bearing assembly or a documented combination? definition
- Where does this assembly end at its base, crown attachments and neighbouring roof surfaces? boundary
Geometric envelope
Records footprint, profile and reference datums without assuming a standard dome shape.
Span, rise and profile
Describe the dome using referenced measurements that distinguish design geometry from surveyed geometry.
- What are the principal spans, crown rise and profile, and which axes and base datum define them? measurement
- Which drawings or surveys establish this geometry, and do they represent intended or observed form? provenance
Dome fabric and support Describes how the dome is assembled and connected to its supports.
Similar dome forms can depend on substantially different structural components and restraint arrangements.
Covering construction
Separates structural fabric from finishes, linings and weather coverings.
Load-bearing assembly
Record the documented structural system, component arrangement and evidence for assigning structural roles.
- Which shell, ribs, lattice members or membrane elements form the structural dome, and which visible layers are finishes or enclosure layers? definition
- What records or investigations establish materials, thicknesses, member sizes and concealed connections? provenance
Base and restraint
Identifies the dome's bearing, anchorage and restraint interfaces.
Support transfer interface
Record how the dome meets supporting construction and what evidence explains restraint at that boundary.
- Where does the dome transfer loads to a drum, ring, walls, columns or other supports, and which interface components belong to this assembly? boundary
- What documented role do rings, ties, anchors or buttressing play, and which proposed changes to them require structural assessment? action
Dome enclosure and openings Records how the curved covering manages exposure and accommodates interruptions.
Crown openings, surface joints and the dome's base junction need explicit treatment to assess enclosure condition and proposed modifications.
Weathering surface
Identifies the external covering, its joints and water-discharge interfaces.
Surface-to-base water path
Record the intended and observed route of water across the dome and into adjacent drainage.
- Which covering layers and joints manage weather exposure, and where does water leave the dome for another drainage assembly? boundary
- Where have leakage, retained water or condensation been observed, and under what recorded conditions? measurement
Openings and attachments
Locates penetrations, crown structures and fixtures that interrupt or connect to the dome.
Opening and attachment interfaces
Record each opening or attachment, its purpose and the evidence needed before modifying it.
- Where are oculi, lanterns, vents, hatches and fixtures located, and how do they connect to the dome fabric? boundary
- What documented constraints govern opening, sealing, enlarging or adding these features? action
Dome condition and intervention Connects located condition evidence with access, operation and proposed work.
An agent needs to distinguish observed defects from assessed significance and to recognise when dome access or alteration depends on unresolved evidence.
Deformation and deterioration
Organises observations across the crown, dome surface, joints and base.
Located condition record
Record defects and changes with dates, locations, measurement methods and assessment status.
- What cracking, deformation, material loss or connection movement is recorded at the crown, across the surface and around the base? measurement
- Which observations have a documented specialist interpretation, and which remain unassessed or inaccessible? provenance
Access, operation and change
Records dome-specific prerequisites for inspection, movement and physical intervention.
Permitted dome actions
Link proposed actions to documented access provisions, operating requirements and technical constraints.
- Which routes, platforms or attachment points are documented for inspecting the dome, and what restrictions apply to surface access? action
- For a proposed penetration, added load, repair or support alteration, what assessment and authorisation are required before proceeding? action
- If the dome moves or depends on maintained pressure, what documented conditions permit operation and define an unavailable state? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- geodesic dome
- monolithic / thin-shell concrete dome
- ribbed or coffered masonry dome
- onion (bulbous) dome
- geodesic or lattice space-frame dome
- inflatable / air-supported dome
- planetarium / projection dome
- sports / stadium air- or fabric-supported dome
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of dome this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Sources
- Architecture: Form, Space, and Order - Architectural definition of the dome as a rotational vaulted form
What the second pass must settle
- Does vr.tr.dome in INF / INF.MED denote an architectural dome, a media or projection enclosure, or another specialised referent?
- Which boundaries does the registry intend between dome, cupola, vault, domed ceiling, radome and geodesic enclosure?
- Does an existing Vercy world model already own this concept or any of its proposed assembly boundaries?
- Should movable and pressure-supported domes be covered through conditional layers here or through linked specialised models?
- Which authoritative references should establish terminology, condition-assessment requirements and intervention constraints for the construction types ultimately included?