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By Hannah Martin and Katherine McLaughlin
It would be incorrect to call Buckminster Fuller an architect. In fact, he was much more. But of course, the American inventor, theorist, and author did create stunning architectural structures—even if many of them weren’t ultimately destined for living. His claim to fame is, no doubt, the geodesic dome, a spherical structure Fuller patented with an omnitriangulated surface that gave it superstrength. The first was rendered in aluminum aircraft tubing with a plastic skin, but they became more impressive from there, climaxing in what might be his best-known dome: one created as the US Pavilion at the 1967 World Fair in Montreal and now a science museum called the Montreal Biosphère. Beyond the domes—which he imagined would be infinitely useful for their light weight and easy assembly—Fuller was also interested in the concept of prefab housing, devising but never producing the Dymaxion House, which was meant to arrive in a few pieces that could be easily assembled. Here, we’ve rounded up some of Fuller’s most recognizable architecture, all rather avant-garde for its time.
An original model of Buckminster Fuller’s Geodesic Dome House—intended to stand at 80 feet in diameter—from 1952, was on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Though the design is no longer on view, digital works from the exhibit—titled Architectural Systems—can still be seen on the museum’s website.
The theme for the US Pavilion during the 1967 World Fair in Montreal was “Creative America.” Looking to highlight the nation’s innovation and inventive capabilities, Fuller conceived a transparent dome with an astounding 250-foot diameter. Designed in collaboration with architect Shoji Sadao, the interior exhibits included displays on American folk art, cinema, painting, sculpture, and space exploration.
Now, the same ’67 World Fair dome house has been repurposed as the Montreal Biosphère, an environmental museum. “As a museum entirely devoted to the links between society and the environment, the Biosphère's mission is to raise citizen awareness, action, and engagement on significant environmental issues in favor of the socio-ecological transition,” reads the museum’s website.
Though it was never produced, Fuller’s prefabricated Dymaxion House received quite a bit of attention for its forward-thinking approach. The design, which promised revolving dresser drawers, a fine-mist shower that reduced water consumption, and wind-powered air-conditioning, was said to arrive in two separate packages that could be easily assembled. According to the Buckminster Fuller Institute, the name came from a combination of Fuller’s favorite words: DY (dynamic), MAX (maximum), and ION (tension).
Fuller’s 1965 Fly’s Eye Dome—which he called an “autonomous dwelling machine”—is seen here on display at the International Festival of Art in Toulouse, France, in 2013. As the name implies, the design was inspired by the eye of a fly. The openings on the dome were imagined as a location for solar panels and water collection sessions.
Three fiberglass prototypes of the Fly’s Eye Dome were produced by hand, and now another holds court in Miami’s buzzy Design District.
Fuller’s genius is on display at the offices of ASM International in Ohio. A massive aluminum geodesic dome dominates the 45-acre campus, known as Materials Park, which was included on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
In 1975 Fuller collaborated with Thomas C. Howard on a dome for Charter Industries that was long used as a car showroom in Detroit. Today the tent construction, where aluminum rods are connected through a plug in system, resides at Vitra’s campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany. These days, the tent system is used for events and special exhibitions.
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