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Afterward

Burning Man has come and gone. The Oasis Dome was a big success.

It took four months to build, three days to set up, and one day to take down. It was "open for business" for four days.

Every plant used in the dome came out as healthy as it went in. The ferns made a mess when they were handled, but once in place and hanging, there was very little problem, and they looked glorious.

Homes have been found for all of the plants.

The vinyl tarp floor worked perfectly to contain the moop. Even the ferns

We brought 450 gallons of water and used 150. However, the dome was only open for four days. Next time, we'll bring 300 gallons and see how it goes.

The central fountain was a huge hit.

The massage tables were very popular.

We might do it again in 2006 -- it depends on the interest level. If you're interested in joining for next year, contact Ed Falk

Lessons learned:

• The canvas cover needed wider margins; I didn't allow for shrinkage when I designed it, and we wound up wasting most of a day struggling to get it into place.

• Keeping the construction crew together is an art form. There are many stages in the process where you've got one person on a ladder spending twenty minutes working on something while the rest of the crew stands around with nothing to do. Inevitably, most of them wander off, planning to come back later when there's something useful to do. Then, when we need them, they're gone.

  We need to come up with a way to keep the crew occupied, or assign someone the job of crew wrangler. Lisa from the Canadian Peace Beavers has volunteered to do this job. We'll see if they get back to us for next year.

• Top-down construction is not appropriate for a large dome, no matter how much fun it is, or what kind of lifting device you have -- at least if the lifting device lifts the dome from its center. A dome hanging in the air from its center is unstable, and will buckle. The 36' brain wash-n-set dome across the street had the same problems while being assembled. Next time, we'll get step ladders and assemble bottom-up.
• We needed a sign out front -- a lot of people walked right by the dome and never knew what was inside.
• You can't bring unfinished projects to the playa and think you'll finish them in your spare time. There won't be any spare time. Most of the plant hangars were unfinished when we arrived, so most of the plants just sat on the floor around the fountain. Likewise, the futon frame was never assembled.
• The misters worked very well, but the floor became wet. We need to find a way to keep puddles from forming. It's possible that higher-pressure misters would produce a finer mist which would evaporate before reaching the floor.
• A shift schedule is needed; I spent most of the week taking care of the dome, and only managed to see the rest of the event at night after the dome closed.
• The scheduling board for massages was a very good thing to have. We should also see to it that more masseuses are on hand to keep the tables in more constant use.