Buckminster Fuller's 1960 Proposal to Dome Over Manhattan
In the 1960s, Buckminster Fuller and Shoji Sadao introduced a concept for a "two-mile-wide Dome Over Manhattan" aimed at managing the urban ecosystem. Their innovative design suggested that by reducing the city's surface area to one eighty-fifth, heat loss could be minimized, with savings from snow removal offsetting heating expenses. This structure would allow for lighter buildings without the need for weatherproofing, and interior air could be heated from a distance. The dome's one-way glass would ensure privacy. Janette Kim and Erik Carver observed it embodied mid-century America's trust in technological solutions. Sam Lubell, co-author of Never Built New York, emphasized the period's reliance on infrastructural remedies. Fuller recognized the complexities of land ownership and air rights. This proposal came before John Brunner's 1968 novel Stand on Zanzibar.
Key facts
- Buckminster Fuller and Shoji Sadao proposed a two-mile-wide dome over Manhattan at the turn of the 1960s.
- The dome was designed to regulate the city's ecosystems and reduce heat loss by scaling the city to one eighty-fifth of its surface area.
- Fuller and Sadao claimed eliminating snowplowing alone would pay for heat.
- Buildings inside the dome could be built lighter and cheaper without weatherproofing, and interior air could be heated by remote plants.
- The dome's glass was intended to be one-way, blocking outside views while protecting cars and lawns.
- Sam Lubell, co-author of Never Built New York, noted the era's belief in technology, comparing it to building spaceships to the moon.
- Fuller doubted the dome would happen in New York City due to land ownership and air rights disputes, but said it could work where energy is a fantastic problem.
- John Brunner's 1968 novel Stand on Zanzibar also featured a giant geodesic dome over Manhattan.
Entities
Artists
- Buckminster Fuller
- Shoji Sadao
- John Brunner
- Philip K. Dick
- Paul R. Ehrlich
- Janette Kim
- Erik Carver
- Sam Lubell
- Frank Lloyd Wright
- Jules Verne
- Colin Marshall
Institutions
- Buckminster Fuller Estate
- Next City
- Stanford University
- Open Culture
- Never Built New York
Locations
- Manhattan
- New York City
- United States
- Seoul
- South Korea
- Ellis Island