by Jay Salsburg



The first generation of Geodesics researched, developed, and Patented by R B Fuller happened in the late 1950s. Next he followed the same path and built many prototypes some of which were very large and expensive. This second generation, in the 1960s, embodied spaceframe technology where the skin was independently supported by the space frame. This is the time when many students and associates of Dr. Fuller spun off Manufacturing companies like Tempcor producing commercial Domes. This led to the third generation of Domes which departed completely from Geodesic geometry and concentrated on methods to support the skin in a balance of tension and compression with an endo-truss or tension-integrity truss that was modified to be rigid. Fuller coined the phrase "Rigid Tensegrity" to name this technology. There is only one reference to this concept that I know of in published literature, the author of which was obviously unaware of its significance, ( an introduction to tensegrity, ISBN 0-520-02996-8, page 66). After several years of work a few prototypes were commissioned which led to a fourth generation technology Bucky called the Rigid Tensegrity Fly's Eye Dome.

This is where I entered his life. I assisted an independent contractor hired by Dr. Fuller and financed by the architect Norman Foster to build a model of this new concept. Shortly thereafter Dr. Fuller died without any published plans or development funding to finish this project.

1st Generation Dome research - Geodesic; found that the geometry amplified the elasticity of the components, causing the skin or panels to be disrupted by this unforeseen effect. This effect is not a problem on very low frequency designs or small Domes but is catastrophic to larger Domes and eventually leads to failure.

2nd Generation research - Space Frame; found that geometry was complex and required difficult and expensive fastening technology to attach skin to truss. Insurance companies refused to insure these buildings.

3rd Generation research - Tensegrity Geometry; went two ways. First; found that the Tensegrity system of struts and wire was inherently problematic, the system of skin-to-support truss was prone to problems similar to those experienced by large tents in high wind, they would flap in the wind and fail catastrophically. Second; the wholly integrated self-supporting skin design was very inefficient and uneconomical when expanded to large sizes and failed from gravity stress of excess weight on skin but, again, worked well for small size Domes.

4th Generation research - Rigid Tensegrity; found that the skin could be supported in balance of tension and compression independent of the extremely strong and rigid support truss. The problem of integrating the skin with the frame was solved but was never brought to development.

I have evolved the 4th Generation to reveal the 5th generation solveing the engineering problems of supporting the skin with the internal frame providing systemic balance between them.

This has led to the 6th generation with an inner and outer skin, providing very high air-gap insulation and environmental isolation.

There is a fascination with Geodesic Geometry but the romantic notion that this technology is a panacea for housing is, perhaps, unobtainable and remains underutilized after several decades, a curiosity at best. I saw this early on in the early 1970s and followed Dr. Fuller's research very closely in the late 1970s which led me to actually being able to briefly work with him in Southern California. This caused me to take on the intellectual development of his last discovery, the "Rigid Tensegrity Fly's Eye Dome" which has led to several alternate technologies, further amplifying this technology.