Can a Dome Save Houston?

Houston, the fourth most populous city in the country, is in peril according to experts.

Heat, hurricanes and other natural disasters continue to pose challenges to the city's residents. Last year, Houston's city center shut down for nearly a week after Hurricane Ike battered the city causing $10 billion in damage.

Residents struggle with the heat and humidity as well. Temperatures soar into the 90s on nearly 100 days each year. With so many residents running their air conditioners so often, Houston uses more electricity than Los Angeles.

Some scientists think the only way to save Houston is to move it indoors, constructing a giant dome over the entire city.

A video at the Discovery channel explores how a giant geodesic dome may save the city from a grim environmental future.

The dome would be higher than Houston's tallest skyscrapers and stretch over 21 million square feet, making it the biggest structure with the largest roof in the world.

It would be made out of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene or ETFE. Glass will not work because it would be too heavy.

ETFE weighs just 1 percent as much as glass. It won't break, can easily be repaired and can withstand winds of 180 miles per hour. ETFE was successfully used in Beijing's National Aquatic Center for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The dome would consist of hexagon-shaped panels stacked in a honeycomb pattern. To create the dome shape, 12 pentagon-shaped panels would be strategically placed throughout the structure.

Because of the height and size of the dome, traditional construction tools such as cranes and scaffolding won't work. Engineers are planning to use heavy-lifting helicopters and large helium-filled air ships to move pre-assembled pieces to the top of the 1,500-foot high structure.

There would be vents at the highest point of the dome that could be opened and closed to regulate temperature. Massive doors would allow vehicles to travel in and out of the dome and could be closed to protect the city from hurricanes and other inclement weather.

The Houston Dome is an intriguing idea. If it does come to fruition, hopefully it will work better than the dome over Springfield in "The Simpson's Movie."