Dymaxion

Even if you don't know anything about architecture, you've no doubt heard of the name Buckminister Fuller or are familiar with some of his work, as he was a prominent and influential U.S. architect who considered himself "an experiment, to find what a single individual could contribute to changing the world and benefiting all humanity".

"Science World" is a Buckminster Fuller-inspired geodesic dome designed by Expo 86 chief architect Bruno Freschi

Yes, when you see the iconic geodesic dome, you're looking at the brainchild of Buckminister Fuller. But, Fuller has many other contributions to the world, all covered by a philosophy that could be summed up with the word "Dymaxion".

Dymaxion is a term that was originally coined by Fuller in collaboration with wordsmith Waldo Warren, who had spent several days speaking and listening to Fuller discuss his ideas. As mentioned in the introductory paragraph, Fuller had a philosophy that he developed after experiencing an epiphany during some trying times in his earlier days.

During his darkest moments, contemplating suicide as a way to get money to support his family, Fuller said he found himself surrounded in a white glowing sphere and heard the words...

"From now on you need never await temporal attestation to your thought. You think the truth. You do not have the right to eliminate yourself. You do not belong to you. You belong to Universe. Your significance will remain forever obscure to you, but you may assume that you are fulfilling your role if you apply yourself to converting your experiences to the highest advantage of others"

Pretty deep stuff, and fairly specific in the sense that Fuller was destined to work on behalf of mankind, which he did indeed! His thought was to make affordable, sturdy, self sufficient homes that were manufactured off site and easily shipped and constructed. Considered one of the most cost effective designs ever, a two bedroom, 1100 sq. ft. home had a grey water recovery system to reduce water usage and was heated and cooled naturally. It was meant to be built of recycled material leftover from the war and had a relatively maintenance free exterior.

The first Dymaxion House built in Wichita Kansas looks somewhat like a Yurt

Nothing really unusual looking with the interior

Dymaxion House on display in Dearborn Michigan USA

Maybe the Dymaxion House was ahead of its' time, or maybe corporate America never wanted to have affordable housing that cut into their development and profit orientated building. Sadly, the concept never caught on and the prototype, shown in the photos above, is now on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.