Buckminster Fuller was a visionary inventor and thinker known for his theories on alternative energies and his geodesic dome structure. He designed the Dymaxion house and car, and his contributions to design and renewable energy concepts are increasingly relevant in the 21st century. Fuller died in 1987, but his efficient designs may help humans adjust to a more sustainable way of life.
Buckminster Fuller was a renowned 20th century inventor and thinker. He is often referred to as a visionary for his theories on the need for alternative energies such as solar and wind energy and for his projects that are better known than him. Fuller invented and built the geodesic dome structure and also created the standard soccer ball design used in professional leagues through the 20th.
Born in Massachusetts in 1895, Buckminster Fuller came from a philosophical family; his great-aunt Margaret Fuller was a noted journalist and activist. Always somewhat offbeat, Buckminster attended Harvard but was expelled twice and never received an official degree from the university. He served in a variety of jobs and fought in World War I as a naval radio operator. When his young daughter tragically died of polio and meningitis, Fuller experienced a suicidal spell that led to an epiphany that would guide the rest of his life; he wanted to see “what a single individual can contribute to changing the world”.
After coming out of his depression, Fuller began working in earnest as a designer and architect as well as a poet and philosopher. His first projects were the Dymaxion house, an inexpensive, mass-produced structure that would be based on an efficient design to conserve energy and maximize space. Despite interest in the Buckminster Fuller-built models, they were never put into large-scale production.
Buckminster also designed an efficient three-wheeled automobile called the Dymaxion. The design specifications allowed it to carry up to 11 passengers, reach speeds of 120 miles (193 km) per hour, and get excellent gas mileage. Some have suggested that the car was never put into production because the automakers felt it would be superior to mainstream designs and ruin their business as a result. Yet the design has proved to be the inspiration for many cars, including the long-awaited Aptera Typ-1, a highly efficient three-wheeled car set to debut in late 2008.
The design for which Buckminster Fuller is best known was not actually his own invention. The geodesic dome was designed by a German engineer, but Fuller named and developed the concept further, touting it as a functional, space-maximizing unit that can be built without internal structural support. Geodesic domes can now be found all over the world, serving as homes, arenas, and even aircraft hangars.
Many pundits consider Buckminster Fuller one of the greatest minds of the 20th century. In addition to his conceptual projects, he was a talented lecturer and writer and published dozens of works. He has served as president of Mensa, and has been awarded numerous honorary degrees. Some consider his contribution more important than his daily diary, which documented his daily life from 20 to 1915 and is considered an outstanding work of historical perspective.
Buckminster Fuller died of a heart attack in 1987, 36 hours before his wife died of cancer. Although his name has never become a household word and many of his projects have remained as prototypes or even drawings, his contributions to design and renewable energy concepts seem increasingly visionary as the world’s energy and resource crises have an impact on the Earth in the 21st century. Some experts believe that as weather conditions worsen and fuel supplies become scarcer, more attention will be paid to Fuller’s efficient designs and will ultimately help humans adjust to a more sustainable way of life.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
