The insane idea to build a dome over New York

New York ... but not as you know it. Walking down 5th avenue, You look up to the manhatten skyline, but instead of seeing stars, you see only the twinkingly lights of the Mid-town dome. Welcome to an alternative cyberpunk new york that never happened. Back in the 1960s, an architect named Buckminster Fuller proposed building a massive geodesic dome over midtown Manhattan, which would have completely transformed the skyline of New York City. Today, we’re going to explore the history behind this plan and why it ultimately failed. (BREAK) The proposed plan was to cover midtown Manhattan with a massive geodesic dome. It would have been tall enough for the biggest skyscrapers and wide enough that most of central new york would have lived under its lofty borders. This dome would have been made out of lightweight materials, been transparent and it would have covered an area of over 17 square miles - from the East River to the Hudson River, from 21st Street to 64th Street. The idea behind the dome was to create a climate-controlled environment that would protect the city from the harsh New York winters and summers. The dome would have been supported by a network of cables and steel beams, and it would have been anchored to the ground by massive concrete pillars. And we mean truely massive here, each one would have been the size of the statue of liberity and been out in the river and the bay. The dome would have been 200 feet tall at its highest point, and it would have covered some of the most iconic buildings in New York City, including the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center - then at the time some of the tallest buildings in the world. Ironically it seems that the economics of this dome made sense the bigger it was, hence the size was considered conservative with additional ideas floated for other parts of new york. The dome itself would have its own internal climate that would have been controllable, allowing the powers that be to make it rain or shine inside, and generate electricity from the sheer amount of air convection inside - powering the city indefinity to come. When it rained externally, vast gutters would capture the downpour and channel the liquid to a vast holding reservoir under central park. Unlimited fresh water, and no more water shortages that were common in the 1960s in New York. And boy you know this idea generated a lot of buzz in the 1960s. In true 1960s science fiction frenzy, People were fascinated by the idea of a dome covering Manhattan, and many saw it as a way to protect the city from the elements while also creating a futuristic new look for New York. A retro fallout esk cyberpunk look that honestly I’m quite jealous of! (futurama welcome to the world of tomorrow) So how did we get here? Well we need to start with the somewhat crackpot, somewhat excentric inventor of the idea - Buckminster Fuller! (BREAK) Buckminster Fuller was a visionary inventor, architect, and philosopher who left an indelible mark on the 20th century. born in 1895 in Milton, Massachusetts. He had a fascinating life that spanned multiple disciplines, but he’s perhaps best known for his work in architecture and design - particularlly the geodesic dome! This thunder dome was a lightweight structure made from interconnected triangles that’s incredibly strong and energy-efficient. He believed that this type of structure could be used to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, like housing shortages and environmental issues. You know what else has housing shortages and enviromental issues? The big apple! As Buckminster said, You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.“ This quote encapsulates his philosophy of using innovation and design to create a better world - a world that included a better new york. Teaming up with Shoji Sadao , the pair claimed that a dome would reduce energy expentiture of the city to 20% as well as the aformentioned issues of storms and housing. As for the cost, fuller said that “the cost of snow removal in New York City would pay for the dome in 10 years.“ The only thing was to causally figure out the material science and construction could begin right away. As part of the pitch for this project, Buckminster Fuller and architect Shoji Sadao collaborated on designing the massive “Montreal Biosphère,“ which served as the U.S. Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal. The concept was proven, it would work and new york was ready to change in a big way! The concept inspired the science fiction writer Ben Bova’s story “Manhattan Dome“ in the September 1968 issue of Amazing Stories, subsequently expanded into the 1976 novella City of Darkness. A Fuller dome over Manhattan also appeared in John Brunner’s 1968 novel Stand on Zanzibar. However, and I bet you didn’t see this coming, the plan ultimately failed for a number of reasons.