Replies

1. 
   msm | Jul 29, 2005 05:20pm | #1

   did they take you to their leader?
   i mean did you take them to our leader?

   
   

   ---

   Edited 7/29/2005 10:22 am ET by MSM

2. 
   jackplane | Jul 29, 2005 06:14pm | #2

   That, my friend, is the mothership for the Vatican. In case of imminent attacks by Methodists, all the bishops of Rome go aboard and fly to safety.

    

3. 
   PhillGiles | Jul 29, 2005 06:18pm | #3

   Do you have a version that's about 1/10th the size of this one ?

   .
   Phill Giles
   The Unionville Woodwright
   Unionville, Ontario
1. 
   jonblakemore | Jul 29, 2005 06:55pm | #6

   resized 

   Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA

1. 
   VaTom | Jul 29, 2005 08:29pm | #8

   Us dialuppers thank you Jon.

   Looks like the roof of a logia.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!

2. 
   jagwah | Jul 30, 2005 12:20am | #9

   It's that Giant Turtle that attacked Godzilla! I forget it's name. It may be hibernating. 

4. 
   DanH | Jul 29, 2005 06:18pm | #4

   Ah!!! So THAT'S what happened to that missing nuclear reactor!

   (Actually, my guess is a concrete dome with glass blocks (maybe beer bottles?) imbedded in it to admit light.)

1. 
   Piffin | Jul 30, 2005 01:20am | #13

   check the proprtions again. It looks like mateal anmd the holes are the size of platters 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

1. 
   MikeSmith | Jul 30, 2005 01:26am | #14

   it is some kind of air handler system..... weather it's heating or cooling.... i don't know

   BTW... is there an answer to this query  ?Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

1. 
   Piffin | Jul 30, 2005 01:31am | #15

   I just won't be able to sleep until he crawls down there and finds out what the answer is! 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

2. 
   DanH | Jul 30, 2005 01:37am | #16

   > check the proprtions again. It looks like mateal anmd the holes are
   > the size of plattersIf you look at the original picture and compare the "holes" to nearby objects you'll see that they appear to be 4-6" in diameter -- maybe a little large for beer bottles, but maybe not some wine bottles. They appear to be reflective, definitely giving the impression of glass. The dome is almost certainly concrete or some other composite, given the tar repairs on it and the lack of visible seams. The stuff around the edges may be weathered metal or may be some sort of slate-like material.

1. 
   Luka | Jul 30, 2005 03:56am | #18

   Looks like concrete with wine bottles to me.

   At some points it looks like they are little reflective domes. But that is an optical illusion. They are actually concave, not convex. You can see in other places that they are actually "dimples" not domes. Plus, in a closeup, you can see in some of them, the spot of light that is the neck of the bottle inside. I think they are concave bottomed wine bottles.

   View Image

   View Image

   View Image

   The skirt looks like metal, folded back on itself as needed, to fit the contour of the edge. Hence all the "long triangle" "darts"

   View Image

   The red lines are walls, and the red lines radiating from the dome are structural supports that reach out to the walls.

   View Image

   The dome is also not all that smoothly contoured. The green lines are "ridges" or high spots, and the yellow areas are low spots. There's more, but this illustrates the point well enough.

   I think the turtle's name was Ronin. (Pronounced "row-nan")

   Are we there yet ?

   
1. 
   Philter | Jul 30, 2005 04:53am | #19

   Paris Hilton's diaphragm?"If 'tis to be,'twil be done by me."

2. 
   Luka | Jul 30, 2005 04:57am | #20

   ROFLMAOThat would explain all the wear and tear.; )

   Are we there yet ?

3. 
   rjw | Jul 30, 2005 05:11am | #21

   I was thionking it was your backup hat if the tin foil one tears <G,D&R>

   View Image

   Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace

4. 
   CAGIV | Jul 30, 2005 06:04am | #25

   better then my guess...

   worlds largest Jiffy Pop

5. 
   Piffin | Jul 30, 2005 05:15am | #23

   Regardless, this is fun, ain't it? 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

2. 
   Piffin | Jul 30, 2005 05:12am | #22

   OK, Maybe not platters, but 6-8" minimum for the holes. The roof tiles surrounding the area would be about 24" to 30". The duct system varies but would be from 14" to 20"Maybe the dome portion is crete or a composite and the holes done with glass.I look at the upper portion of the photo, and see a parapet wall that rises to create a fancier entry facade on whatever sort of building this is - but at least two stories tall. Some of the air handler ducts not only go into this "collander" but also run strainght down into the roof, so that system appears to be providing HVAC to th ebuilding below, not expecially to this collander. ifr all that is right, it must be a sort of cieling decoration for whatever lies below, say a fancy skylight in a church. You can easily see the main unit for the ducting at the upper left corner of photo, and following the maze, there are both supply and return ducts 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

5. 
   MikeSmith | Jul 29, 2005 06:37pm | #5

   it might be a solar hot air heater....not a very efficient one

   or it could be a solar air conditioner.. again .. not so efficient.... but if all it involves is moving air and letting the sun do the rest... who needs efficiency ?

   Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
1. 
   Luka | Jul 30, 2005 12:44am | #10

   Whatever it is it is efficient enough that someone keeps repairing it even though people throw things at it.

   Are we there yet ?

2. 
   bluethumb | Jul 30, 2005 01:08am | #11

   Guesses so far , from my office:

   *Glass block dome, with HVAC coming through the clerestory

   *Solarium or greenhouse with lotsa forced air

   *Solar preheat for HVAC system

6. 
   Froed | Jul 29, 2005 07:02pm | #7

   It's a big colander for all the pasta they eat over there.

7. 
   Piffin | Jul 30, 2005 01:18am | #12

   I'll tell you what my imagination tells me...

   It is a modern version of a pergola. The essence of a pergola, built of beams and lattice to support vegetatived growth is to semi-shade a courtyrard area beneath it, keeping both the patio arbored with shade and cooling the interior of the building it is attachedto.

   This metal structure seems to be like an inverted collander, with holes for ventilation and light, but reflecting the majority of light and heat away. I can imagine a subtropical undergrowth type garden beyond our view, shady, cooler, and delightfull.

    

    

   Welcome to the
   Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
    where ...
   Excellence is its own reward!

8. 
   efix2 | Jul 30, 2005 03:55am | #17

   I'd say it's either :

   - A Euro-Swamp-Cooler

   - Bass speaker for the disco below!

   E

9. 
   SamT | Jul 30, 2005 05:24am | #24

   LUKA!!!

    

    

   The Pope stole yer tinfoil hat!!

10. 
    IMERC | Jul 30, 2005 07:45am | #26

    WW1 era version of Luka's tin hat for a fat head...

     

1. 
   JerBear | Aug 01, 2005 02:17pm | #30

   Ahhhh you stole my thunder. I was gonna say they found a WW1 helmet. There was a little known tribe of giants that had enlisted in the British Army back then, (only 8), but they were all killed in the war and really never talked about much after that.

11. 
    piko | Jul 30, 2005 08:58am | #27

    It is a domed skylight, made from bottle-bottom glass set into concrete. The  ducting is for A/C.

    Pedestrian answer. Pedantic, even.

    ciao for niao

    To those who know - this may be obvious. To those who don't - I hope I've helped.

     

12. 
    mizshredder2 | Jul 31, 2005 06:41am | #28

    I'll guess it is something to do with a cistern - a lid of sorts...filters out debris via the dimpled openings... Cuz I'm thinking it is situated at ground floor level????

    (HEY! that's as good a guess as some of these others'!!!)

     

13. 
    tuffy | Aug 01, 2005 11:51am | #29

    Offhand, I'd guess it's a skylight over a ballroom or somesuch space. I imagine there could be a stained-glass dome underneath that monster.

    The plugs of glass embedded in concrete look like the sort of thing you see used to light storage rooms under the sidewalks in front of turn-of-the-century commercial/industrial buildings. The plaza in front of the New York city hall still has those plugs in the pavement--lighting a long-defunct subway station.

14. 
    TMinor | Aug 03, 2005 09:50pm | #31

    I believe it is designed to create heat for the surrounding living spaces. the concave glass holes you see are lenses which focus the sun rays to a hot pin point. (Like a kid with a magnifying glass on an ant hill) The pin point of light also explains what others in this thread believed to be necks to a wine bottle.

    -Chief of all sinners