DOME PROFILE 1:5 on Stemwall – The 1:5 ratio dome is low enough profile it probably needs to be on a stem wall. The stem wall can be as low as nine or ten feet or it can be as high as forty or fifty feet. The stem wall is important to some architects and some owners, although it is an expensive way to get height. However, the 1:5 ratio on a 12’ stem wall makes an extremely good basketball facility, hockey stadium or small arena. The surface area of the roof is still large enough to make that all-important thermal battery.
(Note – A 1:5 ratio and a 1:4 ratio covers the same amount of floor area for the same amount of money. They both work.)