Bucky Student Dilemma Options Five dilemmas (situations) for students to consider and focus on within their project:
Dilemma 1 Problem Statement Post World War II America was faced with a huge influx of returning servicemen who would be looking to settle down and start families, but we lacked the housing stock to meet their needs in quick, affordable, and sustainable fashions. Critical Questions Considering America’s housing dilemma post WWII, in what ways do you empathize with Bucky’s creative choices in the Dymaxion house?
How did Bucky’s guiding philosophy of humanitarianism and his belief in science, technology and design spark his divergent thinking to solve the dilemma?
Dilemma 2 Problem Statement Bucky was driven in his Dymaxion house (and car) endeavors by an unwavering belief that science, technology, and design could help raise all of humanity up to a sustainable standard of living. Critical Questions While we’ve come a long way in raising general standards of living, many in the world (and even in our own country) still suffer from starvation, substandard housing, and lack of access to fresh water, food, or even electricity and basic education.
How did Bucky navigate adversity during the challenge of the Dymaxion house (and other) project(s)
In what ways has your team become aware of their growth/fixed mindset dispositions and decision making practices?
Dilemma 3 Problem Statement Bucky insisted on using aluminum and the post war airplane production factories for his homes, which would keep costs down, but produced a “different” look for his homes. Critical Questions How might Bucky’s singular vision of his home’s construction material as aluminum--which is durable, lightweight, and, given the factories already producing it, affordable--actually have led to the project’s downfall?
How might Bucky’s focus on the design innovations and divergent thinking that the Dymaxion Home represented have blinded him to other concerns users might have had about the house?
In what ways has your team become aware of their growth/fixed mindset dispositions and decision making practices?
Dilemma 4 Problem Statement Persistence is one of the key markers of genius and extraordinary success; Bucky was persistent but few of his ideas, however beautiful for their visionary and humanitarian nature, came to a profitable fruition. Critical Questions Could you make a claim that Bucky’s persistence bordered on perfectionism (Persistence’s evil twin)?
Because they bring new environments and ideas into the world, designers, especially architects, are often seen as narcissistic, and in love with their own ideas even if that love destroys or sabotages their projects.
In what ways has your team become aware of their growth/fixed mindset dispositions and decision making practices?
Dilemma 5 Problem Statement Bucky had thousands of orders for homes in 1946, but abandoned the project after trouble with investors. Critical Questions Given his philosophy and focus on affordable, sustainable housing-and-living for 100% of the world, and the ready availability of cheap materials, and the 1,000's of orders already in hand, why might Bucky have abandoned the project?
One article indicates that part of the reason the Dymaxion home never got off the ground was Bucky’s “refusal to compromise.” Can you identify any aspects of the Dymaxion house that you think should have been changed from Bucky’s plans/ideas, given what you’ve seen or read about the home?
In what ways has your team become aware of their growth/fixed mindset dispositions and decision making practices?
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