Take a personal tour through R. Buckminster Fuller's aluminum "house of the future" and discover how it might have changed the way we live.
Daily Activities at Dymaxion House
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Conceived by visionary architect R. Buckminster Fuller as the home of the future, the Dymaxion House was designed to be the strongest, lightest, and most cost-effective housing ever built. Over the last decade, it has assumed an iconic presence in Henry Ford Museum. To some people it's a giant Hershey's Kiss. Others sense a kinship with the Airstream travel trailer. Painstakingly restored, it's the only remaining prototype in the world.
Downdraft ventilation reduces dust
Feature Museum of American Innovation
A ventilator on the top of the Dymaxion House allows fresh air in, but keeps the wind out. This was designed to cut down on heating costs in the winter and cooling costs in the summer.
As Buckminster Fuller put it, "A complete air change every six minutes." The ventilator is also built strong: able to withstand winds up to hurricane force and beyond – up to 180 miles per hour! On the top of the structure is this box that turns to maximize airflow and keep the structure well ventilated.
Revolving Closets
Space-saving wardrobe units
To maximize storage space, the closets and shelves in the Dymaxion House are hidden away but easily accessible. Automated revolving closets efficiently stored coat and shoe racks. O-volving shelves held rotating bins that displayed clothing with the push of a button.
Ceiling Ventilation
A spinning rooftop frame
The rooftop ventilator system rotates to exhale hot air or pull in fresh air. With just a slight push, the ventilator spins quietly.
Gallery Kitchen
Featuring built-in appliances
The all-steel kitchen in the Dymaxion House is a long, thin gallery with built-in appliances and a fir plywood floor.
Central Mast
Supported the entire structure
The Dymaxion House uses tension suspension from a central mast, which appears in every room. Here, in the livingroom, it appears above the stainless steel fireplace.
View in our Collectionson thehenryford.org
Buckminster Fuller was a multi-disciplinary designer. This house, his re-thinking of human shelter, was rooted in Fuller's understanding of industrial production -- particularly methods developed in the automobile industry and especially those advocated by Henry Ford for whom Fuller had immense admiration. More an engineering solution than a home, the structure was prototyped but never produced.
Fuller, R. Buckminster (Richard Buckminster), 1895-1983
Beech Aircraft Corporation
United States, Kansas, Wichita
Buildings (Structures)
Graham family
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of the William L. & Marjorie M. Graham Family, Wichita, Kansas
at Henry Ford Museum in Dymaxion House
Get more details in Digital Collections at:
thehenryford.org
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The national attraction for discovering your ingenuity while exploring America's spirit of innovation. There is always much to see and do at The Henry Ford.
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Check out some of the amazing inventions you'll see first-hand when you take a journey through our Dymaxion House exhibit in Henry Ford Museum.
The circular house was designed to be easily transportable and shipped in a metal tube.
Resource-Efficient Dome Design
The round form encloses more space with less material than a square structure, using the "more with less" principle.
Rotating doors spin clothes and shoes into view.
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