DOI: 10.5176/2301-394X_ACE19.617
Authors:Waldemar Bober and Marek Oktaba
Abstract: During his life, Richard Buckminster Fuller (18951983) was active in many fields; one of which was architecture. It ought to be noted that he did not graduate in architecture, but learned some design methods in the 1920s while working with his father-in-law, James Monroe Hewlett. In the later period of his career, beginning from 1947, he mainly attended to the high demand for the geodesic dome, rarely engaging in other projects[1]. From among many models of the geodesic dome erected during Fuller’s lifetime the most famous is the ‘Montreal Biosphère’ which served as the U.S. pavilion at the EXPO ‘67. Fuller never acquired an designer’s licence, which is why his designs had to be signed by one of his co-workers – most frequently Shoji Sadao. Fuller did not comply with a definition of a ‘standard architect’; he might be better described as an architect-visionary than a construction designer. This article will therefore explore the areas of Fuller’s architectural thought and the scope of his innovative ideas rather than list his architectural achievements. In all the six areas that will be presented in this paper, Fuller’s vision had reached far beyond the results he was able to obtain, as these were limited by the financial, technical and organisational means he had at his disposal. This, however, renders his projects challenging and interesting to contemporary architects and, as we still lack some of these means, will certainly continue to inspire the future generations of architects. Fuller’s output is therefore not only of interest to architecture historians; his visions pose constant challenges to modern design technologies, and for this reason they should be studied and analysed also by contemporary designers.
Keywords: conceptual design, architectural ideas, geodesic structures
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