A spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles (geodesics) positioned on the surface of a sphere: A geodesic dome is a strong prefabricated enclosure constructed of lightweight bars forming a grid of polygons, with no internal supports.

A geodesic dome is energy efficient because it requires less building material and has less surface area, because heat loss due to wind turbulence is decreased, and because its shape minimizes air leakage.