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existence of Pi. The idea of an infinitely definable fraction is enough to dissuade any efficiency minded economist or architect. Or rather the endless quantification of Pi makes for an ultimately unknowable and imprecise number. Thus as opposed to a square, the determination of a circle's diameter and area involves greater time, complexity, and error potential. Habits of measurement are impaired by the existence of curves.
But can it really be so convenient to oppose the circle? Dare economists be so bold as to purchase an automobile with square wheels? Recreationalize with cubed baseballs and four-sided beer bottles? Or Explore space in a right-angled shuttle? Why is it that rain gutters be round and not our houses? Perhaps all the aforementioned objects somehow benefit from spherical designs due to aerodynamic considerations, that standstill objects like houses and offices remain exempt from. Yet are not all objects upon the earth's surface traveling at tremendous, yet often unobserved, speeds as the planet moves in conjunction with both axis and galactical orbit? Does not the persistence of spherical planets and moons suffice as reasonable justification for shape advantage? Inspired by such thematic correlatives among motion, geometry, and nature was the so-called grandfather of domes himself, Buckminster Fuller. A figure with strong pile tendencies and thus well deserving of mention in the context here. We shall borrow a few personal idiosyncrasies and ideals as evidence. As any naturally curious fellow, Fuller was quite interested in the seemingly non-finite capacities of life. That is the potential for ideas and experimentation. In fact Fuller proclaimed to live his |
life as a continual experiment, and fittingly coined the self-referencing nickname Guinea Pig B (B for Buckminster). This drive of curiosity fueled an escape from the structure of ideologies and extremisms. An avoidance of capitalistic thinking that guided the latter two thirds of his life. He openly proclaimed an intent to better humanity over a pursuit for profit. A 60 year period to ignore the pressures from and alleviate the problems of capitalism.
He expressed a less-economic understanding of efficiency to include factors of energy consumption and quality of life. Fuller conceptualized and produced dozens of inventions as ways 'to do more with less.' Solutions to personal transportation, global cartography, city design, resource allocation, and of course, housing. Among which included his most recognizable project: the geodesic dome. An engineering masterpiece of sorts, the geodesic dome (the only man-made structure to get proportionally stronger as it increases in size) maintains the highest ratio of enclosed volume to weight. With less materials the dome provides a lighter, stronger, and more spacious configuration than the box structures we are used to. (An even more subtle quality is the dome's blurring of definable space, namely the cohesion and confusion between walls and ceilings.) Such advantages spawn from simple imitations of convexity; spheres like earth. In addition, the repetition of hexagons forming beehive colonies, the recently discovered C-60 molecules, and geodesic structures is of little coincidence. Fuller was well aware of organic patterns and methods for harnessing curvature capacities. The dome corresponds to laws of nature, like piles and curiosity. |
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