Most people are familiar with R. Buckminster Fuller and his geodesic dome homes. He lived in one himself for several years while teaching at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Fuller was neither the first nor last architect to experiment with round homes; Wallace Neff was famous for designing palatial residences for famous Hollywood actors in the 1930’s.
Near the end of World War II, he came up with the idea for bubble homes. A giant balloon was inflated on top of a concrete disc. A concrete mixture would then be sprayed on the balloon. The balloon would be deflated and pulled through the front door to be used for the next house.
R. Buckminster Fuller in front of his geodesic dome home in Carbondale, Illinois.
Image courtesy of Architect Magazine.
Wallace Neff in front of one of his bubble homes.
Image courtesy of Slate.
A series of bubble homes by Wallace Neff.
Image courtesy of Slate.
In thinking about round houses, we could not help but think of architect Dries Kreijkamp who designed and built the Bolwoningen in 1984. In Dutch, Bolwoningen means “Globe Housing,” perfect for this large series of identical houses. Each PVC ball sits on top of a concrete column housing a set of stairs, creating a spherical exterior and ballon interior.
The Bolwoningen
Image courtesy of Hidden Architecture.
The Bolwoningen
Image courtesy of Hidden Architecture.
