Richard Buckminster Fuller

1 Pages 305 Words

As one of America's engineers, inventors, designers, architects, writers,
educators, philosophers, and poets, Richard Buckminster Fuller contributed
much to America. He is most notable for his use of innovative technology in
dealing with global problems against humanity.
Fuller was born in Milton, Massachusetts on July 12, 1895. From 1913-
1915, he attended the prestigious Harvard University. In the early '20's, he
helped his father-in-law develop the Stockade Building System. The Stockade
produced lightweight, insulated, fireproof, and waterproof housing. Later, this
company failed. As a result, Fuller searched for new ways to increase the social
benefits from using the earth's energy and material resources.
The Dymaxion Corporation, founded by Fuller in 1932, helped him to
produce a variety of his innovative designs. For instance, his new innovative
house was a doughnut shaped structure which hung from a central mast; he also
invented a flat map which could be folded into a globe without too many
distortions.
In the years of 1947-1948, Fuller developed a "synergetic-energetic"
system of geometry. It was an architectural consequence of a geodesic dome.
A geodesic dome is a network of interconnected tetrahedrons which form a
three-way hemispherical grid. The grid evenly distributes stress to all parts of the
structure. This invention led to the mathematical study of space-spanning
structures. The Ford Motor Company commissioned Fuller, in 1953, to design
the Ford Rotunda Dome in Dearborn, Michigan. Also, he designed domes to
house military radar.
Fuller eventually developed his own philosophy: "I just invent. Then I wait
until man comes around to needing what I've invented." In 1959, Fuller
established the World Game research team while teaching at Southern Illinois
University. This research team searched for ways to protect people and the
earth. In 1972, 11 years before his death, Fuller...