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Historic Bucky Dome Needs Help
Anonymous Coward writes "Buckminster Fuller's Geodesic Dome is falling apart and one man hopes to save it. Read more at http://www.msnbc.com/news/748889.asp?0bl=-0" The Buckminster Fuller Institute has a page on the dome, which has contact info for donations.
Not as much of a perfect, long-lasting structure as they thought, eh?
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"Buckminsterfullerene" is a form of carbon where 60 carbon atoms are bonded together into a large molecule that resembles a soccer ball. It is also called C60 or a "Bucky Ball." This "Buckminster Fuller Geodesic Dome" I would suspect is some sort of large bucky ball representation.
" It can be built relatively cheaply with environmentally friendly materials." - the same problem we had. The government built a lot of council high-rise flats from re-inforced concrete in the 60s. Now a lot of them are crumbling too.
Video Game cheats, hints a
Just pull out all the windows and sell it to the government as a historical "Mental Health and Relaxation Facilitator" (monkey bars)for $100,000 and build a new one with the profits.
This is a landmark that should be preserved at all costs. I don't think any of us will have a problem giving a small portion of our incomes to such a worthy cause. Since we are all good Americans, none of us should mind paying a nominal tax in honor of the greatest Buckminster than we have ever known.
God bless.
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
bucky domes are/were the perfect thing for protecting radar antennas from the elements, and for covering the tops of large otherwise open tanks.
they're not so good for building houses, though, as a retrospective shows -- the labor to fit drywall, the impossibility of making windows and roofing that don't leak, the impedence mismatches of standard rectanglar building materials and furniture; all make life with a dome a pain and not very cost effective.
but cool, man. the big dome in montreal for expo 70 was awsome; it too fell into disrepair.
-dB
"It if was easy to do, we'd find someone cheaper than you to do it."
So far, Perk has only raised $100 for repairs, but he's undeterred
He bought it in 1999.. has $100 out of $100,000. and is 70... he better get a move on it... (Guess story on MSNBC is a start..)
Less well known than the Geodesic Dome is Fuller's Dymaxion House, a very cool hangout in my opinion with lots of features like "O-volving" shelves built in. See the nice restoration project pages at the Henry Ford Museum for more info.
A man, a plan, a canal: Suez!
I'm pretty shocked that since 1999 when he bought the place to restore it, he only managed to raise $100 for renovation!!! Either he's incompetent (which I doubt), or he just hasn't been trying very hard. So why the sudden push now all of a sudden?
Ceci n'est pas une sig
I for one fail to see the historic significance of this thing. Yes, it was the only dome Fuller ever lived in. So what? He himself sold the damn thing.
Aside from being a very slightly distinguished example of a concept that utterly failed to revolutionize housing as we know it, it's just a house. I can respect that it was this guy's buddy's house, but apparently it's nevertheless a shoddily maintained moneypit with not much else to recommend it. Bulldoze it and reuse the land.
Where are you finding this stuff? I like to be ready to dump pages of potentially offensive trash onto this site, too.
research into geometry ???
Fantastic link.
Now I need to find a nonsense generator, and some Nigerian bank scam letters. The arsenal is young, but growing.
Well, I would take photos of the building then tear it down. Photos and a website will be good enough if somebody wants to know anything about it. It is obviously that it is not worth to keep it up with maintenance for next many years. I am assuming that this designer just want to build to "show" that it can be done, not for long-term purpose. If anyone wants something to last, someone would've done it better in first place.
Uh, that subject should have read:
"For those who are NOT into chemistry..."
Comment removed based on user account deletion
from the article:
He is also considering bequeathing the dome to SIU in his will.
He believes the university should buy the building or pay for its renovation.
If he wants the university to buy it from him, why did he say he might give it to them in his will? Now all they have to do is wait for him to croak (and he looks fairly elderly from the picture)
I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
My house is also falling apart. How do I get it nationally recognized as a historical landmark?
The frost on the roof once resembled Buckminster's face (although he was missing a nostril). Is this enough to qualify?
Table-ized A.I.
I mean, 10 seconds of experimentation shows that http://www.msnbc.com/news/748889.aspworks just as well, and is at least 30% less messy looking.
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Ask the Ya-Hoot Oracle Anything!
Name one person who DOESNT need(or want) money? It'd be one thing to give to a local charity, or donate time somewhere local, but SUBSUDISE a house renovation project??
Fuck it. Let it rot.
structure is falling apart much quicker than my presure-treated-wood ad brick home?
Actualy that is a very valid question. A lot has been learned in building domes in the last 40 years. The biggest lesson learned is that roofing the thing to keep the water out does cause problems trapping condensation in the shell promoting decay. The shape was good. The early ventilation was poor.
Almost all new domes now have building code requirements to have the shell ventilated to prevent condensation from building up inside the outer shell. If you built a traditional home and didn't put in eve and roof vents, they also would rot out due to condensation under the shingles in the winter. Roof ventilation is required in both types of homes. More information on dome wall cavity ventilation using a cupola can be found here; http://www.domesnorthwest.com/Explanations.htm
The truth shall set you free!
I'm wondering how it could possibly cost $100K to renovate a little teeny geodesic dome like that one? I mean, it's presumably built out of inexpensive materials: where does that kind of money go on this project? Couldn't someone find a couple of college students willing to do it for $15K ea + materials over a summer? For that matter, wouldn't someone donate the materials?
and coworker's parents has a dome house.
I cost a lot to build, and they couldn't sell it when they put it on the real estate market.
I've been in it several times, it's interesting. It's bigger inside than it looks on the outside. The heating/cooling does seem to always be very consistant, it seems to have less temperature variation than a normal square house.
Someone mentioned leaks, my friend never mentioned problems with leaks, even though it has several skylights.
He reads slashdot, but he never posts, maybe this will be his first story to post in, after all, he is pretty qualified to post on this one!
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
OK, this is a troll. But I had to get it out
of my system. I for one am, not falling under the
spell of this ``futuristic geodesic dome'' mantra.
The first time I heard about Mr. Buckminster Fuller
several years ago I was almost convinced that
the messiah of modern architecture had at last
walked the planet. He is a ``visionary'', a ``genius'',
the great pooh-bah, he invented or
discovered the geodesic dome.
Yeah right, a sphere made up of triangles. So what?
It's been known at least from the time of the
ancient Egyptians that the triangle is a very
rigid structure. Mr. Fuller applied the principle
to the sphere and suddenly he is a genius?
He even got a molecular configuration named
after him. What's next?, an element named
buckminsterfullerium?
A post above me even claims that Mr. Fuller's
geodesic dome led to advances in chemistry.
Now, that is one huge leap of progress
in the impending deification of Mr. Fuller, I say.
Well kiddo, let me be the devil's advocate.
Just what did Mr. Fuller come up with that
can compare with
that deserves all this adulation he is
getting?
but fuller didn't invent the geodesic dome... there was a geodesic dome built in germany in 1922 for zeiss jena, to be used as a planetarium. Bucky just happened to stumble upon it and patent the idea in america. He's another one of the imperialist 'inventors' of american history, like t.a. edison... not to be trusted.
i think we just slashdotted MS-NBC... or is it just my connection???
[root@GRIFFIN root]# rpm -e coffee-1.22.3-1a.i386.rpm
error: removing these packages would break dependencies:
Considering that it is on the National Historic Register, I wonder if there are some preservation societies that could get involved?
Also, considering this Wolfram guy builds geodesic domes for fun and profit, I hope he is chipping in some of the cash, considering he might not have a career if it wasn't for Bucky!
Even so, I guess I'll chip in some cash. It has some sentimental value to this SIU grad.
I'd have to agree all things considered. But not for the reason you state. And his doing so would be unfortunate at best. Since this would likely result in the demolition of the structure.
As Susan carefully eluded to in her reply in the article SIU has no interest in purchasing this house for a number of reasons. There is no funding either for the purchase much less the maintence or restoration of the home. Additionally It is located in a residential neighborhood that is not ajoining any campus property, this in it's self causes issues.
As a side note, SIU Does still maintain at least one dome picnic shelter. But SIU has owned several of these homes that were located on or immediatly ajoining the camus and has torn them down due to the high cost of maintence. The two most prominate ones are now a vacant lot and a small Labyrinth park(painted on the foundation of the dome).
structure is falling apart much quicker than my presure-treated-wood ad brick home?
Obviously we should be building molecules out of brick and presure-treated-wood.
if it was rebuilt to code. A code that onw includes
domed constructions...
I've volunteered for the Buckminster Fuller Institute ( http://www.bfi.org/ ) as a means of puting my money (or absence there of,) where my mouth is.
Fuller ranks right up there with Steve Wolfram as far as I'm concerned.
MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.
The oldest commercially built bucky dome is a restaurant in Woods Hole MA called (what else) "The Dome Restaurant" Its been there since the 50's and it's doing very well thanks...
http://www.thenimrod.com/domehist.htm
I think we now have the technology to make domes worthwhile again. Roofing can now be sprayed on polymer. Inexpensive, long-lasting, and absolutely leak proof. Insulation can also be sprayed on, and can look nice enough that it need not be covered. Traditional drywall is not necessary... Windows, OTHO, I know little about.
:-)
I will definitely consider a dome as a vacation home off in the woods. 1000 acres, some solar panels, and a really tall mast for my cellphone antenna.
Thanks...I was going to give the exact URL to explain the exact problem!
Geodesic domes are very useful, if designed correctly. Another problem quoted is that the walls are round, while furniture tends to have flat backs. This might be a problem in a small domes, but as the diameter of the dome increases the wall will of course curve less. You shouldn't put your furniture flat against the wall anyhow, I have seen many recommendations of at least 2 inches.
The DomesNorthWest.Com site is a good one. Read it for more info.
I took an instant liking to domes when I first saw one some years ago. I also became interested in Bucky's work.
:-)
A few years ago I met a guy called John Rich who is a very well respected dome builder in New Zealand with a long list of successful stories and an informative site at http://www.geocities.com/geodesicsnz
He has told a funny story relating to ventilation in a dome he built. It goes something like this:
Building inspector arrives to do final inspection of newly built dome. All is well except that he insists that a ceiling fan be installed at the top of the dome. John argues that the natural ventilation makes this unnecessary but the inspector refuses to sign off unless this is done. Fan is reluctantly installed and the inspector is called back. He sees the fan rotating nicely and happily signs the certificate. As he is leaving, John shows him the fan's power cord, not plugged in
Damn right! ALL the great inventors, scientists and engineers were German.
If it's not GERMAN, it's CRAP!!!
Windows has another meaining: A "window" is a piece of glass set into a wall to allow light to pass through. It can be used to look outside while remaining inside. Some windows can be opened to allow the exterior atmosphere into the interior. "She looked out the window and, seeing that it was a beautiful spring day, she opened it to get some fresh air."
"I'm not impatient. I just hate waiting." - My Dad
Actually I don't know the details but apparently the Wright brothers tried to legislate all their competitors out of business, and were in fact somewhat successful. A good friend of mine is an aviation buff and anytime we talk about IP he brings up the horrendous damage that the Wright bros did to the field of aviation by stifling all the competition.
Although that doesnt say anything about how much effort it took them to get there, or whether or not they just stumbled on to their ideas...
-dbc
When I was a student at Southern Illinois University, it was 'Bucky' Fuller this and 'Bucky' Fuller that. Geodesic domes! Dynaxion maps! Woo woo! Then I went to school in Madison, Wisconsin, and it's Frank Lloyd Write slept here, wow, look at his chairs, they're a pain if you're over 5'4", but wow, Prairie style, bla bla bla. In fact, I think Madison had a grudge against Fuller; as they named their mascot, a Badger, 'Bucky' as well.
If they were still alive, I'd lock them in a geodesic thunderdome and let them fight it out to the death!
Are these of any practical use? You'd think they would be more popular if they actually provided a solution to some kind of problem..
.