The present invention is directed to a novel workstation which incorporates an acoustical dome for increased acoustic and visual privacy for the user. The workstation further is adjustable in height such that it is able to accommodate a range of users from the 5.sup.th percentile seated female to the 95.sup.th percentile standing male according to the dictates of ANSI/HFES100-2007 national ergonomic standard. The workstation is further designed to be in electrical and data communication with other workstations to optimize the workstation density in an open working environment without compromising user privacy.

A system and method determine a size and a shape for identical geodesic modules that are used to form a structure. The system and method may include analyzing input data regarding a size and a shape of the structure to be formed, and determining the size and the shape for each of the identical geodesic modules based on the size and the shape of the structure to be formed. The structure may include a framework including the identical geodesic modules. Each of the geodesic modules has a size and a shape that are the same as all of the other of the geodesic modules. A forming system and method position a framework and a covering skin of the structure in relation to a mandrel, and drill and rivet the framework to the covering skin with a plurality of operating heads.

A novel workstation incorporating an acoustical dome for increased acoustic and visual privacy for the user. Preferred embodiments include an adjustable height workstation designed to be in electrical and data communication with other workstations, thus optimizing the workstation density in an open working environment without comprising user privacy.

An improved beam connector providing enhanced means for connecting beams in geodesic spherical or domed dwellings and commercial structures. The improved connector design provides for construction of an entire geodesic frame using only one connector size and shape, and one beam size and shape. The improved connector comprises three angularly spaced apart legs radiating from the center at a downward pitch, each leg for receiving a beam. The top surfaces of each leg may form a dihedral angle for supporting adjacent exterior hexagonal and pentagonal panels. The bottom surfaces of each leg may form a dihedral angle for supporting adjacent interior hexagonal and pentagonal panels.

A method of constructing a dome-shaped roof on a cylindrical tank body includes processes of assembling roof beams into the tank body in a radial shape to form a structural skeleton unit of the dome-shaped roof, attaching wheels to front end portions of the roof beams and causing the wheels to abut an inner surface of the tank body in a state in which the wheels are able to roll in a vertical direction, lifting the structural skeleton unit by jack-up units installed at an upper end side of the tank body and causing the wheels to roll along the inner surface of the tank body to travel upward, and directly or indirectly attaching and fixing the structural skeleton unit to an upper end portion of the tank body after the structural skeleton unit is lifted to the upper end side of the tank body.

A method for designing a structure includes selecting an initial cage, defining a secondary cage by positioning a plurality of tiles, reduced tiles, or larger patches obtained or derived from a selected one of the uniform Archimedean tilings over the faces of the initial cage, resizing edges of the secondary cage such the cage is equilateral, and planarizing the cage faces. In an embodiment the patch comprising a network of edges and vertices from a uniform tiling decorates the faces of a polyhedron to define a non-polyhedral cage that is transformed by planarizing the faces. In an embodiment the secondary cage comprises tiles derived from an Archimedean tiling that decorate faces of the initial cage comprising a polyhedron. In an embodiment the secondary cages resemble a nanotube.

A pre-fabricated dome and a spherical structure include strut assembly sets, into which glass panels or synthetic resin transparent plates are to be inserted, are assembled into 5 sets of hexagonal modular assemblies around a pentagonal assembly to build a primary pentagonal modular assembly, and further 5 sets of primary pentagonal modular assemblies, into which upper and lower, (outer and inner) struts are assembled in 2 layers (of outer and inner walls), are interconnected to build a semi-spherical dome, and if 12 sets of primary pentagonal modular assemblies are assembled, a solid cylindrical structure can be built to provide a perfect block between the outdoor and the indoor so that the room temperature will not be affected at all by the outdoor temperature.

The present invention is directed to a novel workstation which incorporates an acoustical dome for increased acoustic and visual privacy for the user. The workstation further is adjustable in height such that it is able to accommodate a range of users from the 5.sup.th percentile seated female to the 95.sup.th percentile standing male according to the dictates of ANSI/HFES100-2007 national ergonomic standard. The workstation is further designed to be in electrical and data communication with other workstations to optimize the workstation density in an open working environment without compromising user privacy.

A system and method determine a size and a shape for identical geodesic modules that are used to form a structure. The system and method may include analyzing input data regarding a size and a shape of the structure to be formed, and determining the size and the shape for each of the identical geodesic modules based on the size and the shape of the structure to be formed. The structure may include a framework including the identical geodesic modules. Each of the geodesic modules has a size and a shape that are the same as all of the other of the geodesic modules. A forming system and method position a framework and a covering skin of the structure in relation to a mandrel, and drill and rivet the framework to the covering skin with a plurality of operating heads.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional structure (2) that can be deployed in a compact first configuration and at least one deployed second configuration, the method of manufacture comprising: a first step, performed by a computer, of generating a so-called alignable mesh (14) from an initial discretized quadrangle mesh; the alignable mesh (14) being obtained by deforming the quadrangles of the initial mesh; a mesh being said to be alignable if such a mesh can be deformed into a rectilinear configuration by angularly modifying the mesh at its nodes and by keeping the side lengths constant; a second step of manufacturing the three-dimensional structure (2) in its compact first configuration, the three-dimensional structure (2) being manufactured from said generated alignable mesh (14) and having, in its compact first configuration, in the form of an almost-linear preform, the form of a bundle, said preform comprising elastically deformable beams (11), the nodes of the alignable mesh (14) defining positions for connectors that join together the beams (11) of the preform.