A History of Architecture

Petr Jandacek, a teacher at  Barranca Mesa School   in   LOS ALAMOS,   N.M.  presents a 45 to 60 minute performance of HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE In the persona of R. Buckminster Fuller.  CHAUTAUQUA is a theatrical art form which is uniquely American.  The performer dresses like a famous character from the past and assumes that individual's personality.  One could argue that Elvis Impersonators are the most recent and most common incarnation of this 19th Century phenomenon.  If Jandacek were tall, dark and handsome he too would be doing Elvis Impersonations.  =-)  Since Petr is short, white and dumpy he does impersonations of Otzi (the Tyrolean Mesolithic Iceman), Toulouse-Lautrec (the dwarf post-impressionist artist) and R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER (famous American Architect) who described himself as "built like a short milk bottle".  In the persona of Bucky Fuller - Jandacek presents the HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE.   Petr Jandacek would be incapable of providing this service on the internet without the profound assistance of Mr. Darel Madrid (the computer “Guru” of Barranca Mesa School in Los Alamos) !!

Jandacek starts with SUBTRACTIVE ARCHITECTURE where animals excavate dens and ancient and contemporary creative people “excaveate” dwellings below ground level (turf houses) or cliff dwellings.  Excellent climate control is a very positive feature of SUBTRACTIVE ARCHITECTURE.

A FrAme   is a system of Architecture employed in NAtive AmericAn Teepees and in truss roofs.


POST & LINTEL is an architectural system which depends on two posts and a lintel.  One can see this feature in every door frame or at Stonehenge

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CORBEL ARCH is a hybrid between the A FrAme and Post & Lintel System
The builder, lacking an appropriately long lintel, tries to fake it by bringing “multiple lintel stones” closer and closer until they span between the posts.  It is inherently an unstable architectural system which collapses readily.

The TRUE ARCH of ROMAN, ROMANESQUE, or GOTHIC form uses TAPERED STONES, and Gravity
largely conFIRMS strength to the structure by pulling the units together.  Places where gravity may act to PUSH the walls apart are BUTTRESSED.  GOTHIC Buttresses are hollow and free standing to provide more indoor space.

VAULT is an ARCH elongated into a quonset or tunnel.  To improve the ratio of ceiling/roof to walls-- groin vaults were sometimes utilized.  Elevated Groin Vaults provide even more favorable and elegant proportions.   We can think of the Elevated Groin Vault as a “Dome Wannabe”.

The TRUE DOME is a Renaissance Invention.  It is architecturally very stable and can span remarkably large areas. 

CANTILEVER ARCHITECTURE was made possible with strong steel beams which
Extend horizontally from a centrally located WEIGHT BEARING WALL (like diving boards) and (these beams) subsequently serve to “HANG” the PERIPHERAL (largely glass) walls which enclose the building.  Walls have two functions: #1. to hold up the ceilings/roofs and #2.  to keep the outside <> OUT and the inside >< IN.  In CANTELEVER Architecture these two functions are divided between the INSIDE WEIGHT BEARING WALL and the OUTSIDE CLIMATE CONTROL WALL.

GEODESIC DOME of Buckminster Fuller uses TENSION not COMPRESSION.  Therefore it has no size limits -  It could be of planetary size! Gravity does not matter in the tension system of the geodesic spheres and domes.
All other systems of architecture depend on gravity.

Petr Jandacek has bragging rights in that he interacted personally with B.Fuller at Ill. State U. at Illinois Institute of Technology (Institute of Design – American Bauhaus), and through personal correspondence with B. Fuller.  Jandacek and his wife, Louise, had built a geodesic dome as their home in Los Alamos.  They have constructed or consulted to others who had erected geodesic domes.