Dome Sweet Dome

In 1954, Buckminster Fuller received the U.S. patent for the geodesic dome, a hemi-spherical structure built on a frame of interlocking polygons. (Picture living inside of a giant soccer ball, and you're not far off.) Fuller hoped that geodesic dome structures would catch on big as a solution to the postwar housing crisis.

But like a lot of his designs, (Dymaxion car, anyone?), geodesic domes were never built in the millions that Fuller envisioned. Still, geodesic domes have become the architectural equivalent of a cult favorite film: they found a following among homebuilders and do-it-yourselfers. Geodesic domes are extremely strong and stable, particularly considering their light weight. They can be constructed quickly from modular parts, and they have little surface area relative to how much space they enclose. They create a large indoor space free from columns, walls or other supporting elements. And because a geodesic dome contains no corners, they're said to be fuel efficient as well.

Now the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that a two-bedroom, one-bath geodesic dome is for sale in the city's Lincoln-Larimer neighborhood.

Click through to see this and other domes for sale in the Pittsburgh area.