Geodesic Dome History - Invention of the Geodesic Dome
Geodesic Dome
Function: noun /     structure Definition:
The lightest, strongest, and most cost-effective structure ever            devised. The geodesic dome is able to cover more space without            internal supports than any other enclosure.
Patent:
3,197,927     (U.S.) issued August 3, 1965
Inventor:
R. Buckminster Fuller
Criteria: First to     invent. First to patent. First practical. Entrepreneur. Birth: July 12,     1895 in Milton, Massachusetts Death:
July 1, 1983
Nationality: American
Buckminster Fuller is best     known for the invention of the geodesic dome, the lightest, strongest, and most     cost-effective structure ever devised. The geodesic dome is able to cover more space     without internal supports than any other enclosure. It becomes proportionally lighter and     stronger the larger it is. The geodesic dome is a breakthrough in shelter, not only in     cost-effectiveness, but in ease of construction. In 1957, a geodesic dome auditorium in     Honolulu was put up so quickly that 22 hours after the parts were delivered, a full house     was comfortably seated inside enjoying a concert. Today over 300,000 domes dot the globe.
Plastic and fiberglass "radomes" house delicate radar equipment along the Arctic perimeter, and weather stations withstand     winds up to 180 mph. Corrugated metal domes have given shelter to families in Africa, at a     cost of $350 per dome. The U.S. Marine Corps hailed the geodesic dome as "the first     basic improvement in mobile military shelter in 2,600 years." The worlds     largest aluminum clear-span structure is at Long Beach Harbor.
Fuller is most famous for his     20-story dome housing the U.S. Pavilion at Montreals Expo 67. Later, he     documented the feasibility of a dome two miles in diameter that would enclose mid-town     Manhattan in a temperature-controlled environment, and pay for itself within ten years     from the savings of snow-removal costs alone.
R.     Buckminster Fullers first world wide acceptance by the architectural community     occurred with the 1954 Triennale where his cardboard dome was displayed for the first     time. The Milan Triennale was established to stage international exhibitions aimed to     present the most innovative accomplishments in the fields of design, crafts, architecture     and city planning.
The theme for 1954 was Life Between Artifact and Nature: Design and the Environmental     Challenge which fit in perfectly with Buckys work. Bucky had begun efforts towards     the development of a Comprehensive Anticipatory Design Science which he defined as, "the effective application of the principles of science to the conscious design of     our total environment in order to help make the Earths finite resources meet the     needs of all humanity without disrupting the ecological processes of the planet." The     cardboard shelter that was part of his exhibit could be easily shipped and assembled with     the directions printed right on the cardboard. The 42-foot paperboard Geodesic was     installed in old Sforza garden in Milan and came away with the highest award, the Gran     Premio.
Fullers domes gained world wide attention upon his Italian premiere and by that     time the U.S. military had already begun to explore the options of using domes in their military projects because they needed speedy but strong housing for soldiers overseas.     With the interest of the military and coming away from the 1954 Triennale with the Gran     Premio, domes began to gain in public appeal and exposure.
TO     LEARN MORE