Back to F. Buckminster Fuller´s Design Science. We have yet to achieve its ramifications for Spaceship Earth with no other real framework in sight...
Back to Design Sciencefrom R. Buckminster Fuller, Cosmography, et al.:
"Earth's finite resources meet the needs of all of humanity without disrupting the ecological processes of the planet." "Design science," in the most general terms, maintains that faithful observation of Universe is the basis of successful invention. The idea therefore is not to invent some strange new gadget, hoping there will be a market for it, but rather to tap into the exquisite workings of nature. While the significance of scientific discoveries is not always immediately understood, the accumulated "generalized principles" have been applied in innovative ways throughout history, producing artifacts which have gradually transformed the physical environment. "The function of what I call design science is to solve problems by introducing into the environment new artifacts, the availability of which will induce their spontaneous employment by humans and thus, coincidentally, cause humans to abandon their previous problem-producing behaviors and devices." F. Buckminster Fuller is arguably the 1st modern environmentalist. "Bucky" was an activist through and through driven by his incessant proving out of nature´s primary and fundamental molecular structures that held the optimal examples and structural knowledge that needed embracing (copying) to make our products and projects with far less material and environmental impingement upon the earth´s natural resource bank and hence future generations' access to an un-endangered Spaceship Earth. |
Beyond Design ThinkF. Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller’s focus on underlining science stands in stark contrast to today´s vanguard Design Think with its Inspiration, Ideation, and Implementation approach. Rapid prototyping of user interface design is perhaps the later´s greatest strength but Design Think cannot begin to deal with the dynamic (ever changing) systems engineering commissionings of highly complex engineering solutions that must integrate existing and new technologies across several jurisdictions so as to minimize negative impact upon entire cities and regions.
Such dynamic multi-dimensional problem solving requires new frameworks, even geometries to drive solutions at the nexus of technology, policy, and finance – frameworks of fast tracking implementation in coordination with educating existing bureaucratic norms. Fuller’s driving ethos was the recognition that all architects, scientists, and engineers have the responsibility to drill down to the basic elements of their discoveries and to work through their solutions so as to deliver up only those artifacts which create positive change and leave no damage to future occupants of our Spaceship Earth. His ethos is now humanity’s drive for survival. His Design Science approach is our imperative both as professionals and human beings. The rapid organic evolution of cross discipline problem solving is making possible new and more flexible structures within which change can be proposed, agreed upon, executed and monitored. Problem solving at the nexus of technology, policy, and finance that must be followed by fast tracked and/or tedious bureaucratic implementation is Beyond Design Think. While a hand full of industrialists have heeded Bucky´s and others' proverbial line drawn in the sand called out by Bucky as "Design Science" - i.e. the responsibility of all architects, scientists and engineers to work through their solutions and discoveries such that they as professionals deliver up new artifacts that leave no damage but rather positive change, Bucky´s Design Science revolution has not yet attained its full effect towards preservation of Spaceship Earth, unscathed in her orbit and safe for all future generations to come. 21st Century Design and Development’s goal is to introduce within the decade new artifacts that will induce Life Without Oil™. In order to do this we have merged tenets of Design Science, Design Think and Bucky´s Dymaxion so as to deliver up a new ‘Solmaxion’ paradigm that can deliver pure Solar & Hydrogen economies. |
Analyzing `Dymaxion´The word Dymaxion is a term that Buckminster Fuller associated with much of his work — prominently his Dymaxion House and Dymaxion Car. The word is a portmanteau of the words dynamic, maximum, and tension [1].
Like Bucky, we are purists. Embedded in Design Science was an ethic of pacifism and anti-military war machine build up. Thought to be a technocrat, Bucky was only in so far as technology had to be used for the good of mankind. While Bucky was focused on the marvels of tension and compression that was for the 1st time being fully understood as perfectly balanced forces of nature already prototyped for us to copy as building design and materials, fully optimized, we are at liberty to now bring to Design Science a full understanding of photonic phenomenon and thermal heat delivered to Spaceship Earth daily in amounts that could fuel the planet daily if only we were to focus whole heartedly on a planet powered by the sun as a Moonshot Mandate depended upon it. Our generation’s self inflicted addiction to fossil fuels demands a whole heartedly “moon shot” mandate. It is widely recognized that for the first time in history, design scientists know enough generalized principles about solar energy to enable our planet to operate only on solar. We at 21st Century Design and Development are optimizing solar, maximum and ions to design and develop large scale complex integrated engineering solutions via Bucky´s original Design Science. Entirely new process system and re-purposing of previous artifacts such as skycrapers are required if we are to rapidly implement new innovations on a scale large enough to impact humanity´s addiction to fossil fuels. Like F. Buckminster Fuller, Solmaxion Engineering recognizes that a failure to do otherwise is a betrayal of the hopes of our ancestors and the human rights of our progeny. We recognize that for the first time in history, design scientists know enough generalized principles about solar energy to enable our planet operate only on solar. And thus, we focus our Design Science efforts beyond Design Think to Solmaxion Engineering coupled to a re-invigorated profession of Design Architecture. |