– The climate inside R. Buckminster Fuller’s 50-foot-wide geodesic dome in St Louis, Missouri is causing significant damage.
– Artifact containing exhibition materials and Fuller’s work is under threat.
– A fundraising campaign is on to restore the ‘Spaceship of Planet Earth’.
The Little Dome’s Big Problems
The climate crisis isn’t always about melting ice caps or intensifying hurricanes. Sometimes it manifests in places as tiny as R. Buckminster Fuller’s 50-foot-wide geodesic dome in St Louis, Missouri.
The dome, playfully dubbed ‘Spaceship of Planet Earth’, is an encapsulation of Fuller’s work and philosophies where exhibition materials are stored. However, the interior condition is experiencing a rather ‘earthy’ crisis.
An Interior Climate Crisis: Enemy from Within
There are no carbon emissions or rising sea levels inside Fuller’s Dome, yet it faces a climate crisis massive in its own way. Condensation build-up within the structure, coupled with uncontrolled temperatures and humidity swings have affected the integrity of the building and its contents.
This has led to corrosion, bacterial growth, and a host of other problems that pose risk to the artifacts contained within, including Fuller’s precious works. The culprit is not climate change from human activities but an HVAC system that has become outdated and ineffective.
Saving Fuller’s Legacy: The Fundraising Campaign
A fundraising campaign titled ‘Cool Our Dome’ has sprung onto the scene to restore this remarkable piece of architecture. Organized by The Buckminster Fuller Institute, this initiative aims to raise funds to renovate the HVAC system, thereby putting a stop to the risky internal climate fluctuations. With this critical update, they plan to protect Fuller’s work from further degradation.
The Breezy Take
The plight of R. Buckminster Fuller’s miniature geodesic dome points to an equally important but often overlooked side of the climate change conversation – the preservation of heritage and historical artifacts. Regardless of whether the cause is external or internal, climate-related damage to structures housing important records of our shared history reminds us of the extent to which our past, present, and future are interconnected. The ‘Cool the Dome’ initiative fosters hope that Fuller’s legacy, along with the Structures of his ilk, can withstand the test of time – and climate.
Original article: https://news.stlpublicradio.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2023-08-08/buckminster-fullers-dome-at-siue-faces-a-mini-global-climate-crisis