How to Sustain an Erection

A geodesic dome is the only structure made by man that strengthens proportionately to each increase in size. The geo’s also considered one of the most stable forms of construction, and it’s pretty cool-looking, to boot – think Epcot Center, Expo 67, Silent Running. So why aren’t we all lounging around in our future suits diggin’ on our superpads? Well, it’s not from lack of trying on the part of one R. Buckminster Fuller, 20th century Renaissance man and a tireless advocate of environmentalism and sustainability. While his beloved home-sweet-dome concept can’t be considered a failure by any stretch – its cost-to-benefit ratio simply hasn’t reached equilibrium yet – numerous other Fuller notions have come to pass, and Fuller acolyte Michael Ben-Ali discusses them in Bucky Fuller's Futuristic Principles of Design Science.
Thu., May 1, 7 p.m., 2008