Dymaxion House
As one the top designers of the 20th century, Buckminster Fuller had many ideas that set him apart from others in the same field. One of the ideas was the Dymaxion House. He unveiled the house in the interior decorating department of the Chicago department store, Marshall-Field. The name Dymaxion – Dy(namic)max(imum)ion was funded by the marketer Waldo Warren who, after listening to Fuller talk for two days, planned endless combinations of syllables taken from his highly idiosyncratic vocabulary. All dymaxion houses of the similar design would have to be essentially the same in order to benefit from the economies and precision of mass production. Weighting around 6000lbs and made from mainly aluminum, lightweight steel and plastic it was suspended from a central mast from which the rooms radiated in a hexagonal plan. Bucky had pointed out that any combination of molecules that nature permits is “natural”. And Aluminum being the second most common element in the earth’s crust, it is indefinite. The house had many features; a main floor and observation/recreation/garden deck were incorporated into the home. An evenly distributing climate control system was added to the house as well in which bedclothes were not necessary. A single light source, controlled by mirrors and dimmers served the entire space. The filtered ventilation system and a washer-dryer that also put the clothes away reduced housework to a minimum. Buckminster had a belief that nobody should “have to put in an 8 hour day devoted to yesterday’s dirt. The appliances in the home were built in the wall to save space and were designed to be easily replaced once newer and better technology came into the market. Unfortunately the dymaxion house never went into production; this was mainly because of two reasons. First reason, the necessary materials were not yet available at a reasonable price. The second being a direct result of the first, the cost of tooling up for the production was way too high, would count to billions in today’s dollars.
The Fly’s Eye
Due to the fact that fact that efficiency was a major fundamental in fuller’s designs, he thought of a way to expand his Dymaxion House idea. Although his Dymaxion house was already very efficient, he believed there were some areas where he could improve. His new idea of a “Fly’s Eye” home was the next step in this expansion. There were many advantages in his new design, the dymaxion house could not be delivered “turnkey” ready for use, mostly because it required skilled on-site assembly. 
The Fly’s Eye was mobile and portable, it could be moved from location to location without having any complex adjustments. It was formed with only a few self positioning parts and components. He believed the Fly’s Eye concept had the potential to fulfill the requirements of a global dwelling service. Extra decks could be added for increased space, as well along with mobile furnishings, the floor could be easily and quickly cleared for parties or such. The “Eye’s” could be filled with numerous objects. For example: glazing, doors, vents or even solar panels to even give the home an extra boost in efficiency. He also believed since these homes were mobile, you could just pick up and move neighbourhoods whenever you pleased.
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