A geodesic dome is, in many ways, a meeting place between mathematics, architecture, material knowledge, and craftsmanship. Behind the calm and natural feeling of the finished structure lie years of learning, prototype building, and continuous refinement. Our work began by understanding the geometry behind the dome’s spherical form and translating it into a detailed architectural 3D model where every angle, joint, and structural component was defined with a high degree of precision.
At the same time, we have developed our own prototypes and built knowledge around materials, sealing systems, glazing solutions, and how the structure behaves in a demanding Nordic climate. Wood remains at the heart of the project. We work with slow-grown northern pine and carefully selected heartwood chosen for its durability, stability, and character.
To achieve the level of precision we are aiming for, we combine traditional craftsmanship with modern woodworking technology and industrial CNC precision. Even today, much of the work is still carried out by hand in our workshop on Granberget. There, we continue to test, learn, and refine every detail with a simple but ambitious goal: to create the perfect dome.
A geodesic dome is, in many ways, a meeting place between mathematics, architecture, material knowledge, and craftsmanship. Behind the calm and natural feeling of the finished structure lies a great deal of precision, refinement, experimentation, and practical work. When we first began exploring geodesic architecture, we quickly realized that even the smallest deviations in the geometry could affect the entire structure.
A dome consists of hundreds of individual components where angles, lengths, mitres, tolerances, and joints all interact with one another. That realization became the starting point for years of learning, prototype building, and continuous refinement. We began by immersing ourselves in the mathematics behind geodesic geometry and translating those principles into a detailed architectural 3D model in which every structural component was defined with a high degree of precision.
Today, the digital model forms the foundation for both further development and production. The geometry behind the dome is based on a repeating structural logic. At its core is a geometric building block consisting of three different triangles assembled in a specific sequence. These triangles are formed from nine unique structural components that together create the foundation of the dome’s geometry.
The spherical form then emerges as these geometric building blocks are repeated throughout the structure. Certain areas around the entrance and foundation ring require special solutions, but much of the structure follows the same algorithmic logic — where complexity, precision, and efficiency come together in a surprisingly elegant construction. Wood remains at the heart of the project.
We primarily work with slow-grown northern pine from the forests surrounding us here in the inland of Jämtland, Sweden. Trees that grow slowly in a demanding climate develop dense growth rings and heartwood that has long been valued in Nordic construction. The choice of raw material is an important part of the process. We continuously evaluate tree quality, growing conditions, heartwood content, fibre structure, stability, and drying characteristics in order to identify timber suitable for long-lasting structures exposed to snow, moisture, temperature fluctuations, and natural movement over time.
In all weather-exposed areas, we use pine heartwood as a naturally durable and more environmentally friendly alternative to pressure-treated timber. Over time, the heartwood becomes enriched with natural resins and protective compounds that improve its resistance to moisture, insects, and decay.
After sawing and drying, the material continues through multiple stages of processing — planing, grading, precision cutting, sanding, preparation for assembly, and surface treatment.
As the project evolves, we continue to invest in increasingly advanced woodworking technology — including industrial CNC machinery — to achieve exceptional precision and repeatability throughout the production process. It is the combination of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology that makes the level of quality we are striving for possible. At the same time, woodworking is only part of the challenge.
A dome designed for year-round use in a Nordic climate must also accommodate structural movement, snow loads, moisture, thermal expansion, sealing systems, glazing and polycarbonate solutions, fire safety, and long-term durability. To better understand these challenges, we have spent considerable time working with specialists in adhesive systems, sealing technologies, glazing materials, structural behaviour, and industrial manufacturing. We continuously test different solutions for joining wood with other materials, sealing systems, ventilation, condensation management, thermal comfort, and structural flexibility.
Every prototype teaches us something new.
Several details within our domes are also developed and designed in-house — including our fireplaces in corten steel and stainless steel, inspired by the traditional Scandinavian grill hut. These fireplaces are intended to become natural gathering places that strengthen the interaction between fire, geometry, materials, and people.
Much of the work still takes place by hand in our workshop high up on Granberget in northern Sweden. Here, surrounded by forests and with nearly ten kilometres to the nearest neighbour, prototypes are assembled, tested, adjusted, dismantled, refined, and rebuilt again and again. The northern climate has become one of our most important development partners. Snow, wind, cold, sunlight, moisture, and the changing seasons constantly reveal new things to improve. And that is precisely what drives the project forward.
Our ambition is not simply to manufacture domes. Our ambition is to refine and create structures where craftsmanship, geometry, nature, materials, and human experience come together in a meaningful and lasting way.
From the very beginning, we decided that every detail of the dome should feel thoughtful, calm, and harmonious. As we developed our 3D model, we challenged every angle, every joint, and every meeting between materials until the construction felt completely resolved. One of our early principles was that the interior of the dome should feel perfectly smooth and harmonious — free from visible level differences or uneven transitions between materials. If small tolerances had to exist, they should be moved to the exterior of the structure where they could be concealed and sealed. This level of refinement often led us unexpectedly deep into geometry and precision.
At one point, during a detailed review of the model, we discovered a very small level difference where two structural components met. The discrepancy was almost impossible to detect with the naked eye — only around 0.2 millimetres — but once we had discovered it, we could not ignore it. After analysing the geometry, we realised that the deviation originated from a small difference in angle between two structural components. By adjusting the design, we were able to move the discrepancy to the exterior of the dome in line with our original ambition.
It was a small detail — but for us, it represented an important principle.
When, after months of model development, we finally believed the digital model was complete, we decided to build our first physical prototype at half scale in order to test the geometry in the real world.
At first, we were convinced that the model was perfect. But as we began assembling the structure, small deviations started to accumulate throughout the geometry until it became impossible to assemble the dome correctly. After several frustrating days, we eventually traced the problem to a tiny angular error of just 0.2 degrees, caused by an angle being referenced from the wrong surface in the model. That small error was repeated throughout the geometry and ultimately forced us to discard and remanufacture more than 300 structural components. It was an expensive lesson — but also an important turning point in the project.
Since then, testing, refinement, and verification under real-world conditions have become central parts of our approach. We continuously test wood treatments, primers and adhesive systems, glazing and polycarbonate materials, sealing systems, surface treatments, weather resistance, structural movement, and long-term durability. Outside our workshop, samples of both heartwood and sapwood hang year-round — exposed to snow, rain, sunlight, moisture, and temperature fluctuations so that we can better understand how different materials behave under demanding Nordic conditions.
Every prototype, every mistake, and every improvement brings us one step closer to our ambition: to create the perfect dome.
