Tech Notes 067 - Starnet Proprietary Spherical Plywood Panels

To:

Architects, Engineers, Developers

Tech Note:

From:

Wendel R. Wendel, President

067

Subject:

Starnet Proprietary Spherical Plywood Panels

Starnet has developed two types of proprietary spherical panel systems to create a complete spherical exterior plywood surface that may be clad in a number of materials and methods.

TYPE A PANELS - This panel system is a system whose panels drop into a roll formed aluminum framework. The Type A panels are spherical on both the outside and interior surface. This provides an interior surface that has been a spherical form that can be finished with sheet rock or sprayed on cladding.

TYPE B PANELS - These plywood panels are either trapezoidal or triangular in form that are spherical on the exterior surface and flat on the interior surface. The panels drop into a multi faceted Star*Dome framework. The panels are screwed to the strut system which is angled to support the plywood panels.

Both panels systems may be insulated with fiberglass to create higher R ratings. The exterior may be clad in a number of ways including:

Spherical stretch formed aluminum panels - see Newseum Dome Job #2638/ Renaissance Dome Job #2681.
Standing seamed aluminum panels - see Universal Dome Job #2653
Diamond shaped metal panels - see Liberty Science Center dome - Job #2551
Rectangular panels - see Great Lakes Science Center - Job #2645

Other exterior finished can include sprayed urethane, membrane and Efic cladding. Interior surface selection is unlimited and includes fiberglass insulation (often black for Imax Theater types), perforated aluminum panels, sheetrock, K13, etc. The Star*Dome framing system, spherical or multi-faceted type, triangular or trapezoidal is selected based upon design drivers such as size of dome, type of cladding, design loads, applications and architectural impact desired.

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