Thursday, March 1, 2012

Bucky Fuller lives again

Goetz Composites are known for building race boats, including the America's Cup boats. Now they have applied their expertise to renovating Buckminster Fuller's Fly's Eye Dome. This 24-foot-wide fiberglass dome was a prototype for prefabricated housing and the last project Buckminster Fuller worked on.

The neglected 40-year-old dome was chipped and covered with mold and peeling paint. Where corners were missing, Goetz Composites had to cast new fiberglass pieces and shape by hand to match the original. In the process, the Buckminster Fuller Institute ended up with an accurate Rhino rendering of the as-built pieces. These can be used to create new CNC-milled molds if the Institute wants to replicate a piece.

The restored dome will be permanently installed in the Miami Design District.


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