Buckminster Fuller Union Car Repair Shop

Name of Building: Union Car Repair Shop Location : Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.A Area Covered : Circle of diameter 117m Materials: Pre-cast concrete and pre-cast steel structure Year: 1958 Introduction/Use: Construction began in early 1958 and was finished by October 1958. Buckminster Fuller was greatly interested in geometric shapes found in nature, such as triangles and tetrahedrons. A geodesic dome was built in order for the repair shop to be open-plan and is able to support itself without the need for structural columns. The Site: The site is still a busy industrial area for oil transportation and the dome was built for oil tank repairs. The circle was purposely used for the design of the repair shop, as this

made the repair more efficient as the tanks could be rotated on a common turntable in order to reduce repair time. The Building: The geodesic dome is based on the structure interdependences of the the forces of tension and compression that is extremely strong yet lightweight. The dome was built on site and handcrafted by welders (that had previous experience in repair welding in the previous repair shop). The foundation consists of 88, 18-inch concrete bell piling, and on top of these pillars there are a 4-foot square concrete ring, which is reinforced be re-bars. The structural framework which is also the cladding was constructed on site using a 1inch sold steel diameter, with 1 inch compression rods, 4 inch compression struts, a common nut and washer, with a metal sheet that kept everything in either compression and/or tension. When it was completed, it was the largest free pan structure in the world, being 35m tall and spanned 117m. Conclusion: It was demolished as the site was sold to a company which let the structure turn into ruins. It was demolished because the steel has to be maintained, refurbished and painted in order not to rust. The demolish in was later regarded as a mistake because the structure was an example for futuristic design, that had a great strength to weight ratio. The structural frame, composed of these elements.

The geodesic dome under construction. References: http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Buckminster_Fuller.html http://66.84.15.77/Architecture/25-18.htm

Dymaxion House Project

Name of Building: Dymaxion House Project Location : pre-fabricated house that could be exported to any destination Area Covered : 36 feet in diameter Materials: Aluminuim Structure Year: 1929, later re-designed in 1945 Introduction/Use: The Dymaxion House was designed to be transported in its own cylinder. Behind the invention of the dome lay Buckminster Fuller's principles of synergetics that proved space was tetrahedral. Buckminster Fuller's designs were based on a geometry that used triangles, circles and tetrahedrons, more than the traditional planes and rectangles. The geodesic dome combines the sphere, the most efficient container of volume per square foot, with the tetrahedron, which provides the greatest strength for the least volume of weight. Hailed at the time as the lightest, strongest and most cost-effective structure, the geodesic dome was designed to cover the maximum possible space without internal supports. The Building: Its lightweight and umbrella structure enabled it to be quickly and easily erected on site as it only weighed three tonnes. It was designed to be low in both cost and maintenance. The geodesic dome can withstand winds of 210 mph, while at the same time it is light and easily transportable. Quick to build, a geodesic dome can be put up in hours. A

geodesic dome can withstand hurricanes and earthquakes far better than conventional buildings.

Conclusion: Buckminster Fuller pushed design to the limits, as he believed in More With Less (not Less is more like mies van de rohe). By More with Less he is referring to the structure of the geodesic dome as it is the only structure that actually gets stronger, lighter in density and cheaper per square foot with size. Dymaxion houses are heated and cooled by natural means. Dymaxion houses were self-powered. Dymaxion houses are earthquake and storm-proof. Dymaxion houses are made of permanent, engineeredmaterials that required no maintenance. Dymaxion houses are easy to clean and dust free. Flexible design allowed floor to change at the inhabitants' whim. Today a Dymaxion house would cost $40,000 to build.

Sketches of Dymaxion Dome House

Plan of the Dymaxion House; Deck Tensioning Pattern

Study of air Circulation

Plan

References: http://www.asminternational.org/static/Static%20Files/IP/Magazine/AMP/V160/I02/amp1 6002p042.pdf?authtoken=51e87e350cfbedbbe97d667b8dfecf4efafca221 http://designmuseum.org/design/r-buckminster-fulle