with possible methods of construction researched, our primary focus has moved from the frame of the dome itself, to the specific complications that come with mounting a window into that established frame. one of the ideas we had, was to make one of the triangular sections of the dome out of timber, and keep the rest pvc. This was so we could have a conventional window construction, sill, etc. But there was going to be challenges to doing this. The connections were going to be difficult; transferring from a cylindrical form (with the pvc pipe) to the rectangular of the timber; whilst maintaining its structural integrity and ensuring it was still water tight. The extra weight could warp the dome and make it loose its intended shape. Etc.
Although the timber did make the construction of the window easier, and more ‘conventional’, it did complicate how it would mesh and work in conjunction with the rest of the pvc dome. And since there’s nothing really ‘conventional’ about a geodesic dome to begin with, we thought that the idea wasn’t particularly suiting or relevant to our design.