Fuller A Self Made Architect

Richard Buckminster Fuller at the age of 32 was bankrupt, without a job, and grief stricken over the death of his first child.  Fuller decided that he wanted to pull himself out of this slump and make something of himself so he set out to find ways of "doing more with less."  This would allow all people to be fed and sheltered.  Richard fuller never obtained a degree in architecture but he is known for his Dymaxion House which was a pre-fabricated, pole supported dwelling. 

He developed the idea of light-weight housing that could be air dropped from a plane or helicopter for disaster areas that never hit market and his idea for efficient, low-cost housing called the Dymaxion House was truned down as well.  It is amazing to me that ideas such as these were so readily turned down.  I think that if an idea such as an air dropped light weight house could help a lot of people after things such as natural disasters.  This type of architecture focuses more on the effecient aspect of architecture and not as much as the outward appeal. 

Richard Fuller also invented a three wheeled car with an engine in the rear called a Dymaxion car. 

This car may not be the sleekest design or the include the newest forms of technology, but that was the point.  Fuller focused on the low cost of it and the affordability to lower income families.  I think that the car doesn't look like anything I wouldn't have driven at the time.  I am sure that many people would have bought this car simply because of the low cost as long as it was of high quality.  But as his previous house design Fuller's dymaxion car design was overlooked as well.  Although he was excellent at thinking outside the box on how to create a low budget product.

What Fuller is most famous for is his geodesic dome. 

The geodesic system consists of dividing a sphere into equal triangles so that the surface structure of a dome could be more easily made.The similarity of the triangles makes the domes easier to construct and benefits by being structurally strong. The overall strength is distributed evenly. Fuller insisted upon the minimal use of materials. Therefore the construction of the domes made them lightweight, transportable and easily assembled.  It was ingenious idea that such a structure could be built.  It was not only fascinating to look at, but it was effecient and easy to move and assemble.  He even had the ambitious idea to create a geodesic dome city in 1968.

The dome city was to be two miles wide and a mile high and the most pressing reason for the creation was to alter the weather over the city.  It would never rain or snow, and it would always be warmer on the inside of the dome compared to the outside.  I found this very fascinating.  I had no idea that anyone had ever considered putting essentially a bubble around a city to protect it from the elements.  All of Fuller's architecture wether it be the Dymaxion products or the geodesic dome were incredibly creative.  You see many architects simple doing what his been done before,  building straight edged square or rectangular houses or buildings in the city.  Fuller became an innovator in the field with his concept of effecient, cheap architecture that everyone could access.  As well as his creation of the sturdy and light weight geodesic dome that was almost put over the center of New York City.  The thought of that blows my mind, and shos the incredible architect Richard Buckminster Fuller is. 

Richard Buckminster Fuller: "We are blessed with technology that would be indescribable to our forefathers. We have the wherewithal, the know-it-all to feed everybody, clothe everybody, and give every human on Earth a chance. We know now what we could never have known before--that we now have the option for all humanity to make it successfully on this planet in this lifetime. Whether it is to be Utopia or Oblivion will be a touch-and-go relay race right up to the final moment"