Bourne Under Cover

The idea

A beautiful, used geodesic dome, has been gifted to BOURNE allotment community who have no UNDER COVER shelter to come together for events. Meetings require renting a space. We have people for whom events in cold/wet weather is a health risk and gatherings are limited without shelter.

The dome, an arts project created & donated by artists Darren Ray & Andy Webster, was made from recycled materials. A magical naturally lit space with transparent top panels revealing the sky, the dome is visually exciting outside and profoundly calming inside. But it needs repairs. On an unused communal plot we will renovate & waterproof the dome together in workshops with co-creator Darren Ray, making flooring, waterproofing & learning skills which, with a new tools library, will ensure maintenance & sustainability. We will make seating & create a surrounding green space with fruit trees & wildflowers. The project aims to inspire other communities whom we can help to make their own shelter.

What we'll deliver

A Renewed Dome Shelter 6m diameter, 3m high.

Workshops: Skills & Building

Community Tools Library

Wood Flooring for Dome

Green Space with Fruit Trees and Wildflowers

Outdoor seating

Why it's a great idea

The project will bring community together in physical & social activity learning new skills as we renew the dome and create a green space where there was unused ground.
Sited adjacent to a new wildlife pond it will be perfect for events like:
- shared lunches & meetings
- educational talks & workshops
- fundraising & outreach
- site related group activities.
It will ensure inclusion for older plotholders providing protection from wet/cold conditions once it is floored & waterproofed & opportunities to connect with neighbours & other groups, bring people together more often and offer a space for enhanced wellbeing and less isolation.
It is an inspiring environmentally aware example of reuse and recycling. We hope to help other groups we know who are interested in building their own shelter. It gives us post pandemic hope and in renewing the dome we will renew our community and together create something beautiful and uplifting that we can be very proud of & share with others!

Steps to get it done

Create a community tools library

Deliver workshops to teach skills, renewing & waterproofing

Build wooden flooring inside dome

Provide seating and table

Plant fruit trees and wildflower

Lay woodchip

Our dome has been exhibited several times as an arts project based on the 1970s Drop City settlement in Colorado, US. This was a place for 'Droppers' - inventors, artists & free thinkers trying experimental ways of living. Inspired by Buckminster Fuller they built geodesic domes from recycled materials & reclaimed timber.
Artists Ray & Webster drew inspiration from this approach to shelter building & its relevance today. Our dome has been exhibited & rebuilt & repurposed already many times (www. darrenray.co.uk).
We transferred the dismantled dome before first lockdown. Council undertook to clear & level the overgrown communal plot to site the dome but this was postponed in lockdown so eventually we did it ourselves working very hard, safely, over many sessions. With Darren’s help we erected the dome & covered it to store over winter. It is in need of alteration, repair, waterproofing & safe flooring. We intend to be recycling where possible subject to pandemic restrictions.

Location

By Louise Ely

I have been a Bourne allotment plotholder sin... Learn More

About

Hello Everyone Wishing you all a very Happy, Healthy New Year! At last, after periods of intense activity, pandemic restrictions, unexpected challenges and extreme weather here’s how we have been getting on renewing the dome. We started in early Summer with great enthusiasm and, of necessity, working in very small groups to protect our volunteers from covid. Darren Ray and I ran 13 workshop sessions teaching some basic skills followed by practical application repairing triangles that make up the dome. Over 20 volunteers participated ranging in age from young adults to volunteers in their mid 70s. Andy Webster - a co-creator of the dome - joined us for a weekend and together with Darren told the story of how they came to build a geodesic dome, the influence of Buckminster Fuller’s ideas, the creation of Drop City shelters made from recycled materials and the relevance of this today. There was also input on the construction, geometry and physics of the dome - with explanations of hexagons and pentagons refiring long dormant neurons for some or new revelations for others! Discussions about fixing or replacing broken triangles were followed by learning some basic carpentry skills, how to use various hand tools and 3 electric saws. At this stage an added advantage of having very small groups each session shone through - the opportunity to learn and grow in confidence often with 1 to 1 support. Darren was a great mentor - clear, patient and always looking for new ways to demonstrate or explain if someone was not grasping an idea. It was great seeing people of all ages learning and working together - everything from using a hammer drill for the first time to overcoming a fear of electric saws then taking joy in “ripping” wood safely and with purpose. All done geared up with goggles, gloves, ear defenders and masks. We repaired, remade and covered many panels and fitted a frame and recycled door and made some windows. After that the biggest challenge - to make all the joints watertight. Various ideas were explored, some messy, some very laborious and others just plain ineffective in the extremes of weather. There were many joints, some over the top of the 3m high dome, so progress was slow and careful. When Autumn rains and winds started we downed tools and wrapped the dome in tarps to hibernate for the winter. Then came Omicron, more lockdown restrictions and the effect of 2 years of pandemic saw many volunteers had suffered healthwise with covid now spreading and long covid affecting many. The late Winter weather brought massive storms, high winds and oceans of rain. Flying debris tore through a couple of old material covered panels allowing water in making the inside very damp and behind the dome there was standing water - not good. In the end the solution was to make a French drain around the base on the outside as soon as the ground was workable. This was a very difficult job standing in a trench digging gloopy clay often with windy downpours but thanks to the persistent digging efforts of heroes like Nat and Glen, our friend Marianna and her Ukrainian family and other dedicated volunteers it was finally done and appears to work. It did however disrupt the schedule and as planting and sowing time was upon us attention was diverted to those activities and fitted further work as schedules allowed. Despite the intense heat of last summer - often too hot for the work needed - and many volunteers taking overdue holidays - progress continued quietly fixing triangles and testing waterproofing techniques. We consulted the previous users of the dome to find out how they kept it watertight and discovered that actually they hadn’t … they’d just covered it with tarps. With cold, wet and snowy weather predicted before Christmas we decided to do likewise for the time being. The dome was duly wrapped in transparent tarps - many recycled builders’ discards retrieved via skip dives - and it now looks like a giant igloo! This project has been wonderful for bringing people together in difficult times with a common focus, enabling much needed community connection and lifting spirits. Though work has been slower than anticipated due to complex circumstances related to the pandemic we have kept going and met various challenges. In Spring we will restart on the last phase and look forward to using the space as we envisaged. In the meantime, we are exploring ways to enhance the interior space, perhaps painting/decorating the triangles and making seating. It promises to be a creative and fun phase of the project and if anyone wishes to volunteer in the structural and other activities please contact Louise. Carpentry / DIY skills are always needed, artistic and craft skills too but there are many different jobs so do get in touch. Our sincere thanks to everyone who has kindly helped us through funding, donating materials, advice and volunteering on this project. Your patience and continued support is very much valued and appreciated.

Thanks to the amazing generosity of over 70 backers we have exceeded our target and have now ended the fundraising campaign. Our heartfelt gratitude to all who have encouraged and backed us to enable the project to be realised and special thanks to #MakeLondon for a massive pledge. As we wait for the funds we are busy planning and hunting for suitable materials to use: recycling, repurposing and reinventing where we can - preventing waste and items going to landfill. If you think you have something we could use do please get in touch. Exterior ply, waterproof material, flooring, gravel, wood for seating, old sail cloth, natural rope, yurt matting... just to name a few possibilities. We anticipate starting next month and are delighted that both Darren Ray and Andy Webster, who created the dome, will be overseeing progress. If you would like to participate over the summer do get in touch. There are restrictions on participant involvement due to the pandemic but this may alter. We would especially welcome members of other community groups considering making a simple shelter. Looking forward to starting and sharing developments with you through our posts here.