Research Paper 1
Buckminster Fuller: Debunking Innovation
Known to have been one of the most remarkable men of the twentieth century, Buckminster Fuller truly deserves the recognition. The name itself inspires a creative understanding of the idea that Fuller, perhaps more than any other architect, was and continues to be a profound influence on universal ideas of design. Also affectionately referred to as “Bucky”, he became not just an architect but also an engineer, scientist, mathematician, philosopher, writer and futurist. His works shattered any notions of what was normal and efficient and he managed to develop ideas that were decades ahead of his time. Fuller singlehandedly brought architecture and technology into the new century and managed to do it without any formal degree. His early life was riddled with struggles and disappointments including the loss of his first daughter, but after a so-called creative meltdown in his late twenties, he produced designs that had never been seen or thought of before. For the rest of his life, nearly sixty years, Fuller would go on to win numerous grants for various projects including his most famous work, the Geodesic Dome as well as the Dymaxion collection. He was awarded dozens of honorary degrees from universities across the country and was awarded over one hundred awards in his lifetime. And, eventually as well as inevitably, he became a legendary icon, an international star and a treasure to the world.
Bucky was born Richard Buckminster Fuller on July 12, 1895 in Milton, Massachusetts. His father, also known as Richard Buckminster Fuller, was a well-known leather and tea merchant. His grand aunt, Margaret Fuller, was one of the most prominent feminists of her time and extremely renowned for her work and writings (Pawley 35). Fuller grew up in a stable household and was an interesting child. He demonstrated an aptitude for designing and inventing at a young age though he often struggled in academics. From 1913 to 1915, Fuller studied mathematics at Harvard University, his father’s alma mater, but eventually was expelled twice (Urner). The second time was because of an apparent lack of interest in his particular field of study.
In 1917, he married Anne Hewlett who was the daughter of an extremely famed architect. That year, he also joined the United States Navy Forces and served as an officer until 1922. He flourished in the Navy and did very well for himself, eventually receiving a dispatch as a lieutenant. Shortly after his return to his family, his four year old daughter, Alexandra, passed away from a bout of influenza (Pawley 36). It is said that the death of his baby girl in his arms had a riveting impact on Fuller, one that he never truly healed from. After Alexandra’s death, Bucky remained unemployed for months and began drinking heavily. This continued until he began working for his father-in-law as president of a new company formed to promote the “Stockade Building System”. The Stockade Building System was a method of building walls out of cement and wood shavings. However, he resigned in 1927 after his father-in-law’s share in the company was sold. In August of 1927, a second daughter, named Allegra was born and Fuller rejoiced (Pawley 37). However, both the death of his first daughter and the collapse of the Stockade business drove Fuller into a depression and to the point of suicide.
It was during this depression and contemplation of suicide that Fuller decided to turn things around in order to figure out what purpose he was supposed to serve. He philosophized that the life of every individual was the property of the universe, including his own, and thus, set out to discover this purpose. This was the beginning of a body of work that was eventually named “The Chronofile” and which continued over the entire course of his life. It contained thousands of sketches, clippings, trends, statistics, new technologies, all of his correspondence, traffic tickets, bills, models, drawings, video and audio tapes, slides, photographs, manuscripts and a library of hundreds of books. In fact, the Chronofile is estimated to weigh over 45 tons!! The collection includes detailed drawings and models of his most famous works such as the Dymaxion House and even unpublished manuscripts (Baldwin 8-11). It is easily the most comprehensive collection of items ever detailing one man’s life, legacy and work. At the end of this creative meltdown, Fuller emerged fully aware of his purpose and dedicated the rest of his life to fulfilling it. He was particularly concerned with the rapidity of the increasing global civilization and figuring out a way to meet the needs this problem would lead to. His creations were an attempt to meet these needs in an easy, effective manner and also to enhancing people’s lives and everyday objects. This philosophy is evident in his most famous works and lasting architectural achievements.
One of Fuller’s primary intellectual and design works was the Dymaxion collection which included the Dymaxion House and car, the Dymaxion Bathroom and the Dymaxion Map. Dymaxion began as Bucky’s search to build a new kind of shelter, one that was cost-affordable but still good quality work. Concerned with the growing global civilization issue, he searched for designs that could, one day in the future, be implemented as a solution to this problem. And so, he constructed a series of 4-D towers whose round shape minimized roof and wall area per unit of floor area and whose stacked rooms reduced land costs (Baldwin 16). These towers were intended as deluxe apartments but also gave rise to a more basic, lower, house-like hexagonal arrangement which became known as the Dymaxion House. All houses were essentially the same, containing a main floor and a recreation deck. They also contained features like climate control and a single light source which would illuminate the entire house through a system of mirrors (Baldwin 24). Though the architectural design was innovative and effective, it was not accepted as a legitimate shelter in which to live. Critics pointed out its simplicity and sparse use of resources while claiming it was too technologically advanced for society to realistically use. His other Dymaxion design which received notable recognition was the bathroom. Fuller designed it as a single unit, lightweight and portable. The shower, tub and sink are all pre-plumbed, fans are built into the ground to suck fumes downwardly and the mirror placed in the medicine cabinet to avoid condensation (Baldwin 33). However, his Dymaxion Bathroom was interrupted by World War II and the idea never fully took root though it was one of his most original.
Perhaps what Fuller is most recognized for however, what has made him world-renown is his Geodesic dome designs. The dome is a spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on an intertwining series of geodesics (great circles) lying on a sphere. Bucky’s geodesic dome differs from other domes in one respect: his domes are the strongest per pound of material utilized (Baldwin 117). This means the dome is able to withstand stress and strain by distributing these forces in all directions as opposed to just down. In fact, the idea of a dome such as this had been thought of before in 1922, by a man named Walter Bauersfeld who lived in Germany. Despite this, Fuller’s designs were not copies but original ideas about the synergetics of the dome (Baldwin 118). He is credited with discovering the only new form of architecture in the last two thousand years. Since then, over two hundred thousand geodesic domes have been built around the world serving a variety of purposes. Examples include the Superior Dome, the Walkup Skydome and the Eden Project.
The Eden Project was especially eye-catching and interesting because it managed to combine the futuristic design of the geodesic dome with the organic personality of nature. It, truly stands for a “Garden of Eden” utopian ideal. One would be able to live out of doors, indoor. They could fall asleep under the trees and stars each night and wake up to pure sunlight on their face each day. Their home would be able to collect, purify and recycle water, their electricity provided by solar power and their food and produce grown organically. This is what Bucky designed for the first time in 1949, a real-life Garden of Eden accessible to anyone able to buy a suburban home at regular rates. Fuller built his Garden of Eden dome at Black Mountain College to enthusiastic and inspired applause (Baldwin 154). Many students especially were awed at the philosophy of living so close to nature with all the protection any other normal home could offer, if not more. Unfortunately, this majestic design never got both its feet off the ground, having been plagued with obstacles such as a shortage of economical and resilient transparent materials. However, it remains one of Fuller’s most inspired and organic creations.
Fuller’s legacy and influence remain, though over the years, many have tried discrediting him. Architects claimed they had no choice but to accept him because of his geodesic domes though they tried also to claim that the idea wasn’t originally Bucky’s. Mathematicians have tried to toss aside Fuller’s synergetics, denouncing the geometry as trivial. Even philosophers attempt to discredit his synergetics by refusing to accept his work (Urner). Though generally not accepted in academia, Fuller focused his attention on the youth. He stated that the young people of today have everything they need to fix the problems Bucky worked on throughout his own career; that the future lies in their hands. Because of this, he still remains an icon to the youth and the liberal. In fact, he wrote numerous books such as Nine Chains to the Moon and Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth (O’Connor). His legacy and work will remain untarnished for decades to come, there’s no doubt about that.
Fuller worked for over fifty years after his creative breakdown in the late 1920’s. He did everything from giving lectures to working for the US Government to produce more geodesic domes to raising his daughter, Allegra, to growing old with Anne, his wife of sixty-six years. An eclectic character, someone who never performed according to the rules, Bucky really incorporated himself into his work in every sense of the word, just look at his Chronofile!! Perhaps the work he completed, the designs he invented and the lectures he gave were all for one purpose and one purpose only: to pass it on. He considered himself and is considered by others to have been light years ahead of his time, probably one of the few that saw the future with clarity; the good choices and inventions of tomorrow, and especially the detrimental. As an architect, engineer, scientist, mathematician, philosopher, writer, futurist, husband, father and citizen of the world, he devoted himself to repairing it and indeed, proved to be pretty successful at it. Bucky passed away in 1983, about the same time his wife, Anne also passed away.
Images:
1. Elder Bucky
2. Bucky, Anne and Allegra
3. Young Fuller
4. The Dymaxion House
5. The Dymaxion Map
6. Bucky outside a geodesic dome
7. Geodesic dome in Montreal
8. Garden of Eden Dome
* All Images sourced from Buckminster Fuller Institute
Works Cited
1. Baldwin, J. Bucky Works: Buckminster Fuller’s Ideas for Today. New York: Wiley &
Sons, Inc. 1996. Print.
2. Buckminster Fuller Institute. Quilted, 2005. Web. 3 March 2010.
3. O’Connor, JJ and EF Robertson. “Richard Buckminster Fuller.” School of Mathematics
and Science at University of St. Andrews, Scotland. October 2003. Web. 26 February 2010.
Pawley, Martin. Buckminster Fuller. London: Trefoil Publications, 1990. Print.
4. Urner, Kirby. “R. Buckminster Fuller: A 20th Century Philosopher”.
<http://grunch.net/synergetics/bio.html>. 11 May 1998. Web. 1 March 2010.
