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October 06, 2005
Patenting a structural style
By using lofty language and appealing to the poetic over the literal, I felt as though Fuller's article attempted to impress upon the reader that geodesic structures were (cue echo chamber effect) The Architecture of the Future.
Surely these were exciting times to be rethinking architectural vocabulary. Lunar cities, here we come! I found it interesting how the article fixated on how, despite being based on natural structures, geodesic architecture is indeed a patentable idea.
Those few lines that talked about the cases where patents should apply vs when they shouldn't perhaps reflects a society shifting toward a state where ideas and information are valuable commodities. Nowadays we're patenting one-click shopping, user interface elements, gene sequences, all without batting an eye.
I'm sure it must have been an awkward position for Buckminster to be both an outsider in the architectural design world and to also have such faith in the revolutionary potential for his new structures. Patents must have been a key factor in allowing him to promote geodesics as the next wave of the future without fear of having his ideas ripped off.
Posted by Phiffer, Daniel at October 6, 2005 03:34 PM