"So how does the dome work? It is clear. The dome is always in compression, both in the direction of the meridians and in the direction of the parallels, up to a parallel when the meridians continue to provide compression and the parallels start to provide traction, so cracks would appear. So then what does Torroja do? ...[C]ylidrical sheets ...absorb the force from the membranes through the meridians, which continues through the cylindrical pieces."