"For the first time in history it is now possible to take care of everybody at a higher standard of living than any have ever known. Only ten years ago the "more with less" technology reached the point where this could be done. All humanity now has the option of becoming enduringly successful." - Buckminster Fuller, 1980.
This Buckminster Fuller stamp is itself an achievement in design.
Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was born on July 12th, 1895 and died on July 1st, 1983. Fuller was an American engineer, author, designer, inventor, and futurist. “Bucky” was the author of more than thirty books; he was responsible for creating and popularizing futuristic terms like “ synergetics", “ Spaceship Earth", and “ ephemeralization” - terms many of us have heard and even used without knowing where they came from.
Fuller attended Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts and after that began studying at Harvard University. He was expelled from Harvard twice: first for spending all his money partying with a vaudeville troupe, and then, after having been readmitted, for his "irresponsibility and lack of interest." Fuller later described himself during this period as a non-conforming misfit in the fraternity environment.
Buckminster Fuller went on to become one of the twentieth century's most futuristic, controversial, and creative thinkers. Fuller is best known for inventing the geodesic dome, but Fuller had many other inventions - such as an air-streamed, three-wheeled car - and many influential ideas on how to benefit humankind. Buckminster Fuller was truly a modern visionary.
Fuller had many inventions, most of them architectural, and the most famous is certainly the geodesic dome. A geodesic dome is a structure comprised of a complex network of triangles that form a roughly spherical surface. The more complex the network of triangles, the more closely the dome approximates the shape of a true sphere. “By using triangles of various sizes, a sphere can be symmetrically divided by thirty-one great circles. A great circle is the largest circle that can be drawn around a sphere, like the lines of latitude or longitude around the earth. Each of these lines divide the sphere into two halves, hence the term geodesic, which is from the Latin meaning "earth dividing".
geodesic dome schematicThe geodesic dome was designed by Fuller in order to demonstrate some ideas about housing using his concept of "energetic-synergetic geometry”. The geodesic dome is an ingenious demonstration of Fuller's synergetics principles, a school of thought on thinking and geometry developed by Fuller. Under the right circumstances, the geodesic dome could solve some of the mounting housing and energy problems of today (a crisis which Fuller predicted back in 1927).
In his quest to design things that would benefit mankind, Fuller didn’t stop at housing structures. He was quite successful with motor vehicles as well. The dymaxion car was built by Fuller in 1933. The word “dymaxion” appears in many of Fuller’s inventions. It was a phrase Bucky used as a part of a more general project to improve humanity's living conditions.
from the 1933 dymaxion car patent application From Wikipedia:
Buckminster Fuller's early 1960s design for "Triton City" to float in the middle of Tokyo Bay. Instead of Cash for Clunkers or bank bailouts, can this please be our next stimulus program?The Buckminster Fuller Challenge was launched in 2007, it is an annual international design competition that awards $100,000 to the most comprehensive solution to a pressing global problem. From the BFI website: "Winning solutions are regionally specific yet globally applicable and present a truly comprehensive, anticipatory, integrated approach to solving the world's complex problems."
For readers interested in learning more about Buckminster Fuller, an episode of the PBS series American Masters about Buckminster Fuller gives an educational vision into the life and ideas of a man many people have never even heard of. The documentary takes a close-up look at his unconventional life, his creative innovations, and his radical view of the contemporary world.
Buckminster Fuller had many inventions and visions for the future; they are still with us today. "Bucky", was undeniably one of the key innovators in the twentieth century. He is known as a philosopher, thinker, visionary, inventor, architect, engineer, mathematician, poet, cosmologist, and more. Like Daniel Quinn in Part I of this series Fuller’s only wishes were to solve human problems through genuine care and thoughtful design.
This Buckminster Fuller stamp is itself an achievement in design.Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was born on July 12th, 1895 and died on July 1st, 1983. Fuller was an American engineer, author, designer, inventor, and futurist. “Bucky” was the author of more than thirty books; he was responsible for creating and popularizing futuristic terms like “ synergetics", “ Spaceship Earth", and “ ephemeralization” - terms many of us have heard and even used without knowing where they came from.
Fuller attended Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts and after that began studying at Harvard University. He was expelled from Harvard twice: first for spending all his money partying with a vaudeville troupe, and then, after having been readmitted, for his "irresponsibility and lack of interest." Fuller later described himself during this period as a non-conforming misfit in the fraternity environment.
Buckminster Fuller went on to become one of the twentieth century's most futuristic, controversial, and creative thinkers. Fuller is best known for inventing the geodesic dome, but Fuller had many other inventions - such as an air-streamed, three-wheeled car - and many influential ideas on how to benefit humankind. Buckminster Fuller was truly a modern visionary.
Fuller had many inventions, most of them architectural, and the most famous is certainly the geodesic dome. A geodesic dome is a structure comprised of a complex network of triangles that form a roughly spherical surface. The more complex the network of triangles, the more closely the dome approximates the shape of a true sphere. “By using triangles of various sizes, a sphere can be symmetrically divided by thirty-one great circles. A great circle is the largest circle that can be drawn around a sphere, like the lines of latitude or longitude around the earth. Each of these lines divide the sphere into two halves, hence the term geodesic, which is from the Latin meaning "earth dividing".
geodesic dome schematicThe geodesic dome was designed by Fuller in order to demonstrate some ideas about housing using his concept of "energetic-synergetic geometry”. The geodesic dome is an ingenious demonstration of Fuller's synergetics principles, a school of thought on thinking and geometry developed by Fuller. Under the right circumstances, the geodesic dome could solve some of the mounting housing and energy problems of today (a crisis which Fuller predicted back in 1927). In his quest to design things that would benefit mankind, Fuller didn’t stop at housing structures. He was quite successful with motor vehicles as well. The dymaxion car was built by Fuller in 1933. The word “dymaxion” appears in many of Fuller’s inventions. It was a phrase Bucky used as a part of a more general project to improve humanity's living conditions.
from the 1933 dymaxion car patent application From Wikipedia:The dymaxion car was a three wheeler, steered by a single rear wheel, and could do a U-turn in its own length. However, the rear-wheel steering made the car somewhat counterintuitive to operate, especially in crosswind situations. The body was teardrop-shaped, and naturally aerodynamically efficient. The car was twice as long as a conventional automobile, Drive power was provided by a rear-mounted Ford V8 engine, The front axle was also a Ford component, being the rear axle of a contemporary Ford roadster turned upside-down.Although the dymaxion cars were never produced, the design was influential on several future car models. The most well-known example of its influence was the Fiat 600 Multipla. With this car, an extreme rear-mounted engine and a driver position above the front axle were combined to produce an extremely compact car/van hybrid capable of seating six people. Optimal efficiency by aerodynamic design and employing the most advantageous materials heralded an age of qualitatively more advanced thinking in automobile aerodynamics and efficiency.
Buckminster Fuller's early 1960s design for "Triton City" to float in the middle of Tokyo Bay. Instead of Cash for Clunkers or bank bailouts, can this please be our next stimulus program?The Buckminster Fuller Challenge was launched in 2007, it is an annual international design competition that awards $100,000 to the most comprehensive solution to a pressing global problem. From the BFI website: "Winning solutions are regionally specific yet globally applicable and present a truly comprehensive, anticipatory, integrated approach to solving the world's complex problems."For readers interested in learning more about Buckminster Fuller, an episode of the PBS series American Masters about Buckminster Fuller gives an educational vision into the life and ideas of a man many people have never even heard of. The documentary takes a close-up look at his unconventional life, his creative innovations, and his radical view of the contemporary world.
Buckminster Fuller had many inventions and visions for the future; they are still with us today. "Bucky", was undeniably one of the key innovators in the twentieth century. He is known as a philosopher, thinker, visionary, inventor, architect, engineer, mathematician, poet, cosmologist, and more. Like Daniel Quinn in Part I of this series Fuller’s only wishes were to solve human problems through genuine care and thoughtful design.
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