Flatten the sheet material as best as possible with a hammer or other heavy object. Aluminum is the best choice for material for its resistance to fire, water, UV rays, insects and deterioration. In an emergency situation however, you must search your surroundings to find any lightweight, flexible sheet materials. A variety of materials can be combined into one structure if necessary. Consider street signs, corrugated steel roof shingles, car upholstery, cardboard, plywood or plastic soda bottles.
Divide 360º by the number of building elements you have to determine the angle deficit needed. The RanDome method presumes a circle as its basic building block (or vertex element) but the shape is actually not as important as the angular deficit. If you have 100 circles to build with, for example, the angle deficit needed is roughly 3.6 degrees. Accuracy is not necessary in the RanDome method; the angle can be estimated and any shape vertex elements of roughly the same size can be used.
Draw the calculated angle from the center to the edge on each vertex element that you are using. Cut along either one of the angle lines.
Overlap the cut edge to align it with the second angle line and fasten firmly using the rivet gun to form an obtuse cone. The appropriate stiffness necessary for building material can often be acquired simply by coning it. If a rivet gun is not available, search your surroundings for glue, staples, nuts and bolts, chewing gum, and even tree sap. Your intuition and imagination will be your greatest asset until help arrives.
Fasten one element to the next creating a dome from the top down. Obtuse cones are only slightly raised circles providing just enough curvature to form a bowl shape as one is fastened to another. The upper vertex elements of the dome should overlap the lower ones on the outside to make the structure leak-proof. The overlapping of the elements also makes up for any errors in calculation. You will easily sculpt a semi-sphere using only your vision to guide you. Leave an opening for the door.