Buckminster Fuller

Author(s): Buckminster Fuller

Source: Perspecta, Vol. 1 (Summer, 1952), pp. 28-37
Published by: The MIT Press on behalf of Perspecta.
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1566844
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 29

The Standard of Living Package

NEW DIRECTIONS 3

BUCKMINSTER FULLER

Today Buckminster Fuller and Dymaxion are nearly synonymous, for almost everyone is fa-
miliar with one of his many projects, the Dymaxion Alap, Dymaxion houses, the portable unit
bathroom, and the three wheel Dymaxion cars. His Dymaxion theory, which forms the basis of all
his projects, is to effect the "maximum net performance output per gross energy input" in all ele-
ments related to living.
There are probably three experiences most influential in shaping his present directions. In
the Fuller family tradition he entered Harvard in 1913 but abruptly ended his stay during his
second year when, in a rebellion against exams, he went instead to New York to entertain the entire
cast of a Broadway musical. His family, subsequently, apprenticed him to a machine installer in a
Canadian cotton mill, his introduction to machinery. His etnthusiasm enabled him to rapidly
become an adept machinist.
His work wvith naval sea and air craft required a cognizance of navigation, map projection, the
mathematics of ballistics. And he was impressed wvith the required mobility with minimum weight
of seagoing machinery. In more serious pursuit of engineering he studied at Annapolis.
The tragic death of his daughter in 1922 ancl the failure of his business, the Stockade Building
System, forced him into a voluntary exile in Chicago. There, with the abandonment of his care-
free past, he completely reevaluated his ambitions. His decision was to set aside' the desire for
success and profit and henceforth devote his energies toward making the maximum technological
resources serve the maximum number of people.
Since that time Fuller's projects have encompassed the fields of engineering, architecture,
mathematics, geography, and mechanics. To his credit he has a new kind of map projection, a
system of geometry (Energetic Geometry), the authorship of several books, the editorship of Shelter
in the '30's, and his Dymaxion cars and houses. For the most part the projects have never reached
the public market for lack of commercial sponsors. Howzever, in 1946 Beech Aircraft of Witchita
planned to begin manufacture of the circular Dymaxion house. Although 37,000 letters had been
received from prospective buyers it had to be abandoned for the lack of ten million dollars needed
to tool-up for production.

PERSPECTA : SUMMER, 1952

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 28

!.
?.: 2:.
I i, .

t "

HOUSE ON THE HUDSON

ALEXANDER GEORGES

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 30

In recent years Mr. Fuller has incorporated himself into the Fuller Research Foundation; he
is consulting engineer for several firms, lecturer, visiting critic at such schools as Black Mountain,
M.I.T., and Yale.
Two of the latest products of his ever active mninld are the Geodesic Dome and the Standard
of Living Package, further examples of his applied Dymaxion principles. Their value, as in his
other projects, lies not in their imngediate popular acceptance hut rather in their service as guide-
posts and goals for future comprehlensive designlers.

The Autonomous Dwelling Facility have been reduced to minutes and seconds while

new degrees of precision of maintenance of de-

THE GEODESIC DOME
sired conditions previously undreamed of are now
Throughout the last two yearsroutine.
I have As been
over-all result life expectancy at birth
hasappears
preoccupied with developing what been approximately
to be doubled in this remlark-
dynamic principles of structure able yet exquisitely
inherent in theshort fifty-year era.
While we
atom and its nucleus. While my efforts are continuously
en- lost advantage in de-
grees of structural
tirely outside the work of formally recognized satisfaction to be obtained per
authority on atomic phenomena andunit of
theinvestment
signifi-(pounds, dollars, time and
energy),
cance which I am inclined to assign to mywe have continually gained in degrees of
dis-
performance
coveries may never be formally verified by the to be obtained per unit of invest-
ment in household mechanics. For fractions of a
academy, I have, nonetheless, gained therefrom
knowledge of technical advantage cent in
and structure
ounces of material we can get instantane-
that needs no further theoretical verification for ous reports from around the world where the same
would have cost thousands of dollars and in-
it has been confirmed by physical experiment.
The degree of new technical advantage pro- volved thousands of tons 50 years ago to obtain
vided by the discovered principles may be appre- the same personal home facility.
ciated by the fact that one pound of structure can In view of these trends and looking to their
hereby accomplish space enclosure heretofore re- further extension in the next 50 years I propose
quiring one ton of structure (when complying that we eliminate the shrinking and ever-less eco-
with the scantiest of U.S. city codes) while at the nomic house altogether and concentrate entirely
on amplification of the mechanics. Let's go
same time arriving at predictably stable condi-
tions under extreme stress of earthquake, ty- camping with paraphernalia competent to make
us masters of our environment and time as man
phoon, arctic cold, tropic heat in the presence of
which, the behavior of the contemporary city has never dared to dream.

dwelling structure referred to is dubiuos. This Briefly, I propose a super-camping structure

2000/1 ratio of comparative advantage is made re- consisting of a 600 pound, 50 foot diameter hemi-
garding structures of approximately 8,000 square sphere. It consists of a triangular network of air-
feet of ground coverage. The new structure has craft tubing, laced together internally by aircraft
been named GEODESIC STRUCTURE because of cable. Its airframe structure rises into a rigid
its employment of great circle geometry. truss in seconds as its steel sinews are hydraulically
tensed, somewhat as a tinker-toy is drawn taut. A
We have witnessed a half-century's continu-
ous shrinking of dwelling structures produced transparent
at plastic skin of double wall construc-
increasing costs per pound and per cubic foot. tion is inflated to withstand hail, or other similar
impact loads. An interior shuttering device pro-
During the same half century we have seen all the
historical outdoor living controls, such as ice vides 100% variable optical control.
house, washing shed, root cellar, water supply and You may say, "What is new about a dome?"
waste disposal mechanized and brought indoors. The answer is that while there is nothing new
To a gradually improving mechanics of solution about a dome, the way that it is accomplished
of these facilities have been added an increasing
represents first a new advantage taken of the most
host of controls and mechanical devices. Cold recent increases of tensile ability and, secondly,
entirely new structural geometry.
that required winter's harvesting and degrees of
cold not to be harvested are arrived at in minutes In our GEODESIC STRUCTURE the surface

of a sphere is interlaced by unique numbers

and precisely maintained within increasingly
economical dimension. Functions of the pastof great circles properties of w'hich are that they
intercept one another in such a manner that all
which required months, weeks, days, and hours

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 31

the surface areas described by the intersections system center and are ultimately satisfied through-
are triangular. As triangles are non-distortable out all the cohesiveness of all the inclosing ten-
this intersecting, if substantially structured, repre- sion. In contra-distinction to simple curvature
sents a rigid trussing of the spherical surface. If,which is ultimately satisfied in polar focus upon
between each of the vertexes or intersections of two compression points, compound curvature
invokes ultimate activation of comprehensive
the great circles occurring in the surface of the
tension.
sphere, we will construct chords or straight lines
which lines must fall below the surface between There are many ways of rendering GEODESIC
their surface terminals, the lines converging atSTRUCTURES but all represent closed systems in
any one vertex all leading away below the pointwhich compression is comprehensively encom-
on the surface, must form a convex intersection or passed by tension. In principle this emulates the
a pyramidal point. As we press against any con-structuring of universe.
vex vertex, and if the other ends of the line are It is to be noted that men have employed
elastically restrained, the vertex will subside and GEODESIC STRUCTURES before in the form of
the lines will tend to form a flat plane. the octahedron. While useful in small struc-
As each of the chordal ends between vertexes ture, the relative sizes of spans or chords of this
of our GEODESIC STRUCTURE are rigidly re- well-known continuity of great circle triangula-
strained by the comprehensive trussing of the tion becomes so great in unsupported length when
sphere, it is seen that when pressure is exerted in- applied to structures appropriate to men's build-
wardly against any vertex it will thrust out- ings that its virtues were unavailable for practical
wardly against each of the chords leading radially purposes.
from it. It will be seen that, inasmuch as each The surprise factor in my introduction of
vertex represents a pyramid of triangular planes,GEODESIC STRUCTURES to you is the surprise pro-
the bases of the planes opposite the vertex consti-vided by nature. We have discovered and not
tute a closed linkage or ring. Because the linkage invented all-triangular interaction of 25 great
is of great circle chords and because sections of the circles and 31 great circles whose relative chordal
great circle always represent the shortest distancelengths make them appropriate for structures up
between any two points on a sphere and theto 100 feet in diameter.

chords of the great circle represent the shortest There are further occurrences in greater
distance between the two points in space throughnumbers of great circles embodying the all-tri-
the sphere, therefore, the ring of chords ten- angular interaction. Because of the shortness of
sionally opposing the compression thrust of thethe chords, which make possible the application
pyramidal lines from any one vertex may not beof compression members between vertexes of a
elongated. practical length-width ratio-while the system of
Thus it is seen that the GEODESIC STRUCTURE short compression members may be comprehen-
employs the principle of compound curvature as sively cohered by ground to ground tension lines-
the stress is radially distributed from a single it is now theoretically possible to conceive of
point. All the vertexes surrounding any one structures of spans approximating the great sus-
pension bridges. A dome one mile in diameter
vertex are secondarily actuated and each in turn
thrusts outwardly to adjacent vertexes; rings of appropriately skinned in may, in the future, eco-
triangles of geodesic lines are successively acti- nomically encompass the activity of a city. Such a
vated from the original thrust against one vertex city would require no weather walls for its indi-
until six rings have been activated and the equa- vidual parts and could be entirely air conditioited.
tor is reached. All the thrusting outwardly There is special advantage of the hemisphere
against equator symmetrically, their outward over other geometrical forms. For instance, the
thrust is compoiundingly restrained by the op- upper or enclosing surface of a hemisphere ("geo-
posite hemisphere. desic") or of a half cylinder (quonsette) is always
In the case of a GEODESIC STRUCTURE
twice the area of its base (floor). The upper sur-
representing a portion of a sphere the functions
face of
of a half-cube structure (typical of a one-story
the balance of the sphere are rendered by
boxthe
house) is always three times its base. The
earth wvhich tends to complete the spherical upper
struc- surface of a cube is always five timles its
ture by stress extension within the earth. Thus in above ratios indicate clearly the initial
base. The
compound curvature structures of nature,advantages
emu- of curved enclosure over rectilinear.
lated in principle by our GEODEISIC STRUCTUIRE,
The advantage is spelled out in weight of material
working stresses are ultimately translatedper
into
unit of function and in surface cooling areas,
an omni-directional outward thrust from the etc. The peak-roofed box is at greater disadvan-

PERSPECTA - SUMMER, 1952

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 32

tage than the flat-roofed box. The dome sheds its are well identified. Again, as in the case of con-
snow and rain in a superior fashion to a peak or a vection fountain enclosure, it is seen that, if a
cylinder. structural hemisphere is of adequate size, heat
While it is customary to identify office and losses by radiation (where the origin of heat is
manufacturing space in terms of square feet of near the center of the hemisphere) may be scaled
floor area, the actual fact is that-because man and down to negligible amounts, and that such heat
his goods are not two dimensional-the space is radiation as does reach the surface may be turned
volumetrically employed. For this reason, the around by reflection and thrown directly back
unique advantages displayed by the sphere (as di- toward the point of origin.
mension is amplified) in the rate of volumetric There is a third aspect of unique advantage
increase as of the third power over surface increase in the matter of hemispherical volume, gained at
at the rate of the second power has direct bearing the third power; against surface growth of the sec-
on use.
ond power, to wit, that advantage accruing to
It may be argued that the hemisphere
"Relative Size." pro-In reverse, the principle of rela-
vides unusual heights of volume tive
and, sizetherefore,
effect may be noted in the relatively slow
velocity
the floor area is a better means of at which
appraising a large cake of ice melts as
the
value of the space, but this aspect is the
against only true velocity at which a small
accelerating
under special forms of use whichcake of ice melts.
emphasize only
Because
the ground need. In the case of our the amount of volume that can en-
GEODESIC
housing where a fifty-foot hemisphere is center
compass a given em- for a given amount of
ployed, we find it appropriate to pounds
createof a second
structure is larger in the case of the
deck. sphere versus any other kind of geometrical form,
Further uses are made of the and hemispherical
because our particular type of tube-and-cable
volume which take advantage of "necklace"
the unique ge-(which takes advantage of
structure
ometry of the hemisphere; that is, triangulation
atmospheric of geodesic
cir- lines) entitles us to the
culation takes advantage of the natural fountain-
encompassment of relatively large volumes with
wise flow of heated air, i.e., air heated at the
relatively low center
logistic investment, optimum con-
tends to expand and rise as theditions
heavier air
may be is
economically obtained in con-
pulled down by gravity. As it rises it further
sideration ex-
of these various "special" aspects of
pands, it cools and flows outward and downward
interior energy behavior.
to floor level and then centers for reheating and advantage unique to this
There is a further
recirculation.
geometrical form not at first anticipated, that is
This natural fountain motion of heated air the exterior aeronautical advantage. The hemi-
may be observed as an isolated phenomena in the sphere provides the least resistant form (to the
case of explosion and in great fires. Notably, the sum total of omni-directional air motions about it)
Bikini bomb may be remembered as demonstrat- of any of the geometrical forms. The wind tun-
ing the upward-outward-downward and center nel discloses that interior heat losses of permeable
rolling doughnut hemispherical shape. Inas- wall structures are proportional to drag. This is
much as this is the natural atmospheric circuit ofto say that the exterior low pressures created by
energy as heat, it is seen that-if the hemisphere is the passage of air about a structure are satisfied by
designed of the right size to accommodate theinteriorly generated energy expenditure to pass
natural dimensions of a given heat fountain- the high pressure gases through the permeable
there is no tendency for heat to be lost or addi- passages of the walls of the structure.
tional energy expended to impel atmospheric Other experiments have disclosed this prin-
flows through unnatural chambering in order to ciple to be in operation. Cubical houses heated
distribute "comfort" atmosphere. by return circuit hot water systems have been
The hemisphere has further advantages rela- mistakenly supposed to be cool in the windward
tive to the phenomena energy-as-heat-in-the-form- rooms in the wintertime because the wind was
of-radiation (in contra-distinction to energy-as- blowing on that side and was, therefore, sup-
heat-as-articulation-by-molecular-acceleration in posedly chilling the radiators in the windward
gases, which latter is commonly identified by therooms. Experiments disclose that no heat rises
combined behaviors known as conduction and from the boiler to the windward rooms because
convection). We demonstrate our familiarity
the total B.T.U.'s being generated are required
with heat radiation's spherical limits as we back
to process the transfer of the heated atmosphere
into and walk away from the glowing fireplace.
in the lee side of the building and that the whole
The spherical surfaces of relative heat "fronts"
heat flow is to the lee side.

PERSPECTA : SUMMER, 1952

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 33

It can be seen that the four factors notedsearch teams has now completed a tentative flow
above-(a) heat convection fountain, (b) radiationsheet of the sewage disposal and water supply sys-
reflection to spherical shape, (c) Relative Size,tem-the
(d) latter for 600 gallon a day of chemically
aeronautical properties-combine to provide
pure, sterilized, sweet water. This apparatus
unique energy economies, but with no furtherserves
ex- as a general energy exchanger, taking heat
penditure in physical structure in the way of from
con- the refrigerating system to satisfy the pres-
duits, partitioning impellers thus displaying sur-
sure distillation processes. It heats the water for
prise advantage in new magnitudes of availablegeneral cleansing purposes while shunting a frac-
controlled environment. tion to refrigeration for chilling. This total
Employing components now manufactured energy-sanitation-refrigeration system weighs ap-
proximately one ton. ? R. Buckminster Fuller.
by American industry one of our engineering re-

THE STA N DA R D Fuller assigned the following problem to forty students of architecture and
O F LIVING product design at the Institute of Design in Chicago:
PA C KA G E Emergency situation is the lever that overcomes man's inertia. The city is to be evacuated. All
residential and industrial concentrations of 50,000 persons or more are in immediate danger of
annihilation. Consumable goods now directed toward these areas will be diverted to smaller, de-
centralized communities. .You have seven days in which to gather all living mechanics necessary
to maintain a high standard of living for a family of six, two adults, two children, and two guests.
Everything not decentralized from big cities will be destroyed; therefore, there will be no purchase
restrictions or limitations. You zuill be given prime-mover and transport to a decentralized area
of low concentration. There a shelter will be provided that offers complete control over external
destructive forces. Once on the spot, the prime-motver will be equipped to provide all of the power
necessary to operate the mechanics of your selection. Personal transport-either air or ground-
will be provided in order that consumable goods, repair and replacement parts for the mechanics
can be obtained with reasonable ease. What are you going to do? What size van do you want?
What size check do you need to cover your purchases? HozL heavy is the load? Etc.?

The assignment further stipulated that ad- Net over-all dimensions (without package)
vanced scientific and industrial methods comple- Cost per family package
ment intuitive initiations and assumptions and Weight per family package
that the whole be systematically reported. To Volume per family package
gain the widest possible coverage of individual
It quickly became apparent that the scope
items, each student started to wade through the
and magnitude of the problem as assigned made it
galaxy of stores in the greater Chicago area shop-
impossible to complete on an individual basis in
ping for pertinent mechanics. Individual lists
the time allotted. At this point, teams were or-
were then to be superimposed to minimize per-
ganized in systematic coverage of the above as
sonal error. The greater the number of individu-
checked against the "Universal Requirements"
alists, the smaller the end error. The data thus
obtained was to be recorded on file cards as fol-
check list, evolved and periodically revised by
Mr. Fuller as the scientific control for develop-
lows:
ment of dwelling advantage.
Name of item

Rating (performance characteristics, espe-

cially those unique degrees of character-
istic performance which determined the
preferential selection)
Manufacturer's identification (model and
year)
Manufacturer's name
Retail outlet name

Gross weight per item (without package)

Net weight per item (without package)
Gross over-all dimensions (without package)

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 34

The completed inventory was a comprehen- hinges, served as mounting platforms for all items
sive picture of the standards of living as advanced of the mechanical package. The contents were
to 1951. The Package weighed 12,910 pounds, sorted and adhered to the six panels-the sides,
bulked 1547.78 cubic feet, cost $18,877.63, and top, bottom, ends-in relation to their use catego-
could be loaded into a twenty-four foot trailer. ries. Mounted with geometrical ingenuity, the
Mobility of domicile was possible in spite of the panels, when hinged together, held the respective
fact that the Package contained every facility that items mounted on them in reciprocal proximity,
man might possibly desire for personal or family thus avoiding all loose shipping conditions.
home use, recreation or development. Elements Hinged "open" the panels provided a floor space
ranged from highest quality of kitchen, laundry of 928 square feet completely furnished ready for
and cleaning mechanics to equipment for com- use. This arrangement also makes logical the
prehensive machine and woodworking shops; movement of the separate panels along the pro-
still, motion, and talkie cameras and darkroom
ducers mass production line and the affixing
equipped for same. The Package contained all thereto of the mass purchased component me-
furniture for six people (Eames, Knoll, Beauty- chanics, and the hook-up of their respective and
rest, etc.), much sporting equipment (summer and appropriate wire and plumbing harnesses and
winter), and a selection of musical instruments manifolds as in auto production.
including a $2500 Steinway concert grand piano. The over-all economic significance is that: (a)
It was improbable that any single family it assures the original component producers of
would want to include everything in this Package mass outlet and annual stability and (b) that the
list since leisure time would not be available to comprehensive package may be mass marketed on
participate in or utilize all of the equipment a long-term chattel mortage, thus enormously
listed. Interchangeability of function according increasing manufacturing outlet and simplifying
to preference was a conception inherent in this distribution to the consumer.

Package. Thirty individuals tested consistentlyThe mechanical package could thus be made
used but one-third of the total items. Investiga- available to the consumer at a cost per pound
tions by the group covered a variety of subjects
within the price range afforded by equivalent
such as traffic flow studies to develop the most
complex assemblies as now provided by the auto-
efficient arrangement of facilities in relationmobile
to manufacturing techniques. The auto-
use, natural light control, independent space-
mobile package was sold to the consumer within
sound controls, pneumatic floor components, the
re- price range of 25f to 50? per pound. The top
design of elements in compact packages to reduce
figure of this range, 50? per pound, was to be
waste space, weight, solution of folding, moving
compared with a net cost of $2.00 per pound at
and unfolding house components for greater
present retail for the respective items of the pack-
mobility. age, as they were now distributed and marked up.
On second phase review of the mechanical This meant that the same items with which we
facility inventory it became obvious that, inas- furnished our dwellings might be made available
much as all the items were inventoried at retail en masse at 500 per pound instead of piecemeal
store figures and had been appropriately pack-at $2.00 per pound. The mechanical facilities
aged for an indefinite succession of handlings and
project demonstrated that a super-mechanical
seasonal lags, the resultant succession of price standard of living could now be made available
mark-ups represented of necessity fundamental in mass production at $4500 per family or $750
all-over inefficiency of distribution procedure. per
If capita, instead of as at present for $18,000 per
the ultimate comprehensive mechanical Package family or $3000 per capita.
to be acquired by the family over a period of Because the super package just had "too-
years could be purchased en masse in advance,
much" unusable luxury (there would not be time
not only could individual mark-ups be eliminated,
to use all the included items), there was a meth-
but also much costly protective packaging and
odical review by each student and the optimum
independent stands, consoles and cabinets, ap-
fraction chosen by any one student on behalf of
propriate to separate marketing. The traditional his family was only %3 of the super package-
"have not" psychology would be replaced withthe described standard of living package if mass
spontaneous creative conservation. assembled could thus be made available at $1500
As a result of these observations, designs andper family of six. This could be amortized at
models were developed. Each of the six sides ofpresent
a official permitted time banking of 3 years,
25' x 8' x 8' container (equivalent to the body ofi.e.,
a with insurance and finance charges, at $50.00
medium transport trailer) locked together by
per family per month, all paid up in 3 years.

PERSPECTA : SUMMER, 1952

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 35

THE INDUSTRIALIZED HOUSE

Incorporating Fuller's Geodesic Dome & Standard of Living Package

The Bemis Foundation and the Department of Architectiure at Massachusetts Institute of Tech-
nology have endeavored, through special courses, endowed research, and periodic conferences, to
stimulate and encourage the study of the industrialized houzse. For the 1952 Housing Conference,
held at M.I.T. during January, groups of graduate students prepared plans for the development
of a 275-acre site in Wayland, Massachusetts. One team, composed of Thomas Marshall, Walter
Roth, Harry Goleman, Robert Fowb le, Vernon Shogren, John Rauma, and Alfred Moffett, worked
with Buckminster Fuller on new concepts of design incorporating Fuller's Geodesic Dome. The
following explanation is an excerpt from the presentation of their designs before the Conference.

. . . The design concept does not include the airplane became a sound financial proposi-
such criteria as public acceptence or profit but tion.
rather we have tried to carry on a scientific proto- . . . We envision three prototypes of this
typing activity to show how the house product can structure. The FIRST could be accomplished
be designed for performance. We are interested today. We could go out and purchase the inven-
in making a better house rather than realizing antory needed to construct the structure shown in
immediate profit. This might be compared to thedrawings 1, 2. As you can see we are still tied
airplane-a considerable period elapsed before to the standard type of mechanics. But we have

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 36

-44
.,,' N

E N TEA

EQUIIVALE tNT HIGH STANDARD OF - OW ELUNG

FrAC ILiT PROOVIODP P ICECMtAL

ONLY PCIIMANINT WALLS ARl

IN UTILITY COME

CLiCTiRIC AODIANT HEATING CONTAlN[OD 1

FIRiT F L00OR PLAN IN WARDROII PlANCLS QOCCING

arranged them in a core unit on thehave taken the

center ofStandard-of-Living-Package
the and
combined it with
dome and around it are the other dwelling a Utility-Energy-Package which
facili-
ties. contains all of the necessary mechanics. lThe
The SEC(ONI) prototype, drawings pg. 35, 3, packages unfold and the walls of the package drop
would be possible a few years hence. It would not down and become floors.

involve any prolonged research or development- The THIRD prototype, drawings 4, 5, is the
we would merely attempt to reduce the cost of the result of our intuitive feeling of what might de-
mechanics by packaging them. In this scheme we velop. It is projected for 20 years hence and

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 37

therefore difficult to describe because you almost

require a new language. The water source is
rainfall. We had information which led us to

believe that this might be possible. A place which

has an annual rainfall of five inches would have a

water source which would provide five gallons of

water per person per day. So the dome would be
j: a water shed, deflecting the water to the perimeter,
where it would be collected for treatment and

ilOw-EQoT f - SSMI BM0 1FTY

/ POMD PRE-PLC--=
storage under pressure. There would be no pipes
-L-
1- i- r'
=' / TwC OF5T V PKeK ANO D*r _ f f
/ RO-CI ON CoLLnCTW) a o ASSE_Y BASS
WITH AS.ML LOW bET.00
-we are merely using a hose, possibly of plastic,
designed with a facility for heating the water at
?-
.t
-- +- ?i- -
_ .-?I I; _-;I;-I;-;-
point of use. For bathing and washing we would
have an atomized pressure spray of detergent and
3 water. It would require only a very small amount
of water. When one of these was designed at
Chicago, it was found that a whole bath might be
taken without leaving a drop of water on the floor.
The spray is carried off in the air.
For the floor of the house, panel tetrahedrons
4
would be made of three way laminated fibre glass
and plastic. We used aluminum tubular supports
with a rigid connection at the edge, forming a
series of triangular tables. These tables cail be
adjusted so that a man starting to build a house
would merely erect one, and depending on his
site and the proposed disposition of his living
facilities, would be able to add the tables re-
T I .CMi-. c.ltOF of alYC t .lt OD
?CNltvY[ BtNBy XtllliTlG U lCNTrlel 1 I&N i ldtTPOO quired.
* U.l,VIIAL fLOO ZAMll -*11TUC rI GLASOUl *IlAS
MCULOIDt I * STTflOfOAM-TTFl *-DRT ?LrA* - COfPLt TIL
lLtX.ZL9 *l TO HCtOMT * jOll.ia - CeARKS tLKCTeICAL
The dome might be built in various ways.
CODOUCTOR WHICH C*N *D PLUGCCD ItO AT *Ht fO>T. AND
lErTANCt LAICr TO fO.IB t *I .DIA.HT I0-FACC.
* CKILI NA WALL PAMfI - A THIN *IHEFT LAtlTC SuC.
First a tubular structure of aluminum with uni-
AS OLCT.tIB rIIaSLIAU LAUmIATE - T.IAT9D rO. COMSCTAHCT
TO_PaO ROYIt OPTIAL AEt 81O LU-I-O-'tt - C.MCPLILtEL
't.lll-l L I& TE...A..ABL9 TH-OUQOHOT - O.9AtAl
ZaOLL AD $It IUOaITCD *r t9-T-QLt5-LllU V lrTCAL
versal connections at each vertex. A Saran tent
ure0T At VMUTIKH Or riLDO Utlf.

would be hung from the structure. The second

system would be a construction of diamond-
shaped panels made of fibtre-glass laminated
plastic.

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