Buckminster Fuller

Buckminster Fuller was one of the world's first futurists and global thinkers. He was an architect, a comprehensive generalist, "an emerging synthesis of artist, inventor, mechanic, objective economist and evolutionary strategist."

One of Fuller's lifelong interests was using technology to revolutionize construction and improve human housing. In 1927, after inventing an easily built, air-delivered, modular apartment building, he designed the "Dymaxion House," an inexpensive, mass-produced home that could be airlifted to its location. The word "dymaxion" became synonymous with his design philosophy of "doing more with less," a phrase he later coined to reflect his growing recognition of the accelerating global trend toward the development of more efficient technology.

After 1947, one invention dominated Fuller's life and career: the geodesic dome. Lightweight, cost-effective, and easy to assemble, geodesic domes enclose more space without intrusive supporting columns than any other structure; they efficiently distribute stress; and can withstand extremely harsh conditions. Based on Fuller's "synergetic geometry," his lifelong exploration of nature's principles of design, the geodesic dome balances compression and tension forces in building.

From the moment of his 1927 decision to make his life an experiment in individual initiative, Fuller addressed himself to the largest questions he could formulate. He sought to discover what it would take to "make the world work"—that is, to provide adequate food, energy, and shelter for 100% of humanity to enjoy a high standard of living.

Fuller's global thinking led him to coin the terms "Spaceship Earth" and "One-Town World." His comprehensive approach inspired such publications as the Whole Earth Catalog.

It is easy to imagine that when Fuller began his experiment in 1927 very few people were talking about the individual's ability to "make the world work," yet he made that premise central to his entire life's work. While it would be impossible to identify a direct connection between Fuller's work and the changes taking place throughout the world, it is easy to see that this basic notion is cropping up everywhere. Today, just 50 years after the beginning of his experiment, he see the phrase "making a difference" just about everywhere—in corporate, commercial, social, and personal communications. This new orientation in the society holds that the actions of the individual can and do create positive social change.