Universities

Solardomes are ideal for tertiary education and are used in several Universities throughout the UK.

Again, they provide a multi-purpose setting, ranging from the study of space structures and engineering to horticulture, environmental studies or research. The Solardome is the ideal structure to study the work of American inventor, architect, engineer, mathematician and cosmologist, Richard Buckminster Fuller who demonstrated that the dome is the ultimate way of enclosing space and is the strongest structure available. Solardomes also make ideal support structures for Astro-physical observations.

Solardomes are being used for research in the following research establishments:

• Universities of Bangor and Lancaster; each use several domes to study environmental global warming and plant research due to the Solardome's perfectly balanced micro-climate.
• There are four domes at the University of Lancaster's, Centre for Environmental Studies where they are being used as isolation chambers for comparative environmental studies.
• The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) at Bangor is using up to 20 Solardomes as a climate change facility which is funded by the NERC.
• Solardomes are also being used at the DEFRA headquarters, York where they are used as isolation chambers for comparative research on insects.
• The Centre for Alternative Technology in mid Wales uses its Solardome as a thought provoking structure, demonstrating the most efficient use of structural materials.

Case Study - Solardomes for Research

The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) at Bangor is situated in north-west Wales, near the Snowdonia National Park. In partnership with the Bangor University, they formed the Environment Centre Wales.

CEH is the UK's Centre of Excellence for research in the land and freshwater environmental sciences. Their research is aimed at improving the understanding both of the environment as we see it today and the natural processes that underlie the Earth’s support systems, such as climate and water resources. They have a particular interest in the impacts of human activity on natural environments and aim to generate workable solutions to today’s pressing environmental problems.

The Centre is using up to 20 Solardomes as a climate change facility which is funded by the NERC. The site features a state-of-the-art exposure facility in which to study the impacts ozone on a range of plant species, including the traits which enhance their sensitivity.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bangor University - www.ceh.ac.uk