Mobile Car Mechanic

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Admin
Mobile Car Mechanic

Mobile Car Mechanic

Buckminster Fuller began designing in 1927, with the intention of creating living spaces for people which were low cost and incorporated geometry and principles from nature. His work continues to serve as an inspiration for designers of “green” homes. Michael John Gorman’s book, Buckminster Fuller: Designing for Mobility, offers a review of Fuller’s life and work, which is the source of the information in this article. Gorman’s book contains a series of illuminating sketches and photographs of Fuller’s work, previously unpublished.

Fuller and Egocide

Gorman describes how, in 1927, Fuller was in a deep depression following a personal bankruptcy and the death of his daughter, Alexandra, from polio and influenza. Fuller believed that poor living conditions were responsible for Alexandra’s death, and as a result, made a commitment to developing cheap, high quality housing. In his words (Fuller had a fondness for neologisms), he committed “egocide,” abandoning his personal goals to pursue a greater good for humans on a large scale.

What follows is a brief summary of Fuller’s major innovations.

Fuller’s Dymaxion House

In 1929, Fuller developed a paper model of a one story, hexagonal house supported by a central shaft. Called the Dymaxion House, after a combination of the words “dynamic,” “maximum,” and “ion,” (or “tension”), the structure utilized the symmetry of a hexagonal structure to create a lightweight structure which could be delivered via plane.