The original greenhouse was an offshoot of the 1960s NATO developed early warning radar system.
The Buckminster Fuller organisation designed and develop giant "golf ball" radar domes.
These giant domes had to withstand extremes of wind and storm and yet remain unaffected.
An ex German U-boat engineer, Hans Lemke,[2] living in Hunmanby North Yorkshire was fascinated by these domes and thought, "If they can withstand these weather conditions then they would make an ideal domestic garden building, greenhouse or garden conservatory".
In 2012 a Solardome glasshouse was included as part of a project to improve facilities at The Yard, as featured on the BBC One "Big Build Children in Need Special" programme.