Wichita Disassembly Documentation
The Disassembly Team
Jay Baldwin - Team Leader
Fuller protégé and expert on Dymaxion structures. Led the careful documentation process, ensuring every step was recorded for future reconstruction and study.
Trip Hill - Documentation Specialist
Responsible for photographic and written documentation. Created detailed assembly sequences by working backward through the deconstruction process.
Museum Restoration Team
Henry Ford Museum conservators ensuring proper handling and preservation of historical components during the disassembly process.
Documentation Methodology
Each disassembly step was photographed, measured, and documented. Working in reverse revealed the construction logic that Fuller had embedded in the design.
Visual Documentation
- • Photographs before each step
- • Close-up detail shots of connections
- • Video of critical procedures
- • Sketches of assembly logic
Technical Recording
- • Precise measurements of all components
- • Material specifications noted
- • Connection types catalogued
- • Sequence numbering system
Key Discoveries
Discovery 1: Dimensional Progression
Working backward revealed Fuller's thinking: structures don't start with walls or floors, they emerge from points becoming lines becoming angles becoming stable triangulated forms.
Discovery 2: Tension Priority
The tension cables were installed BEFORE the floor - challenging conventional construction where compression elements come first. This revealed Fuller's tensegrity thinking.
Discovery 3: Integrated Systems
Every component served multiple functions: the central mast was structure, ventilation, and utility core. No element was single-purpose.
Discovery 4: Reversibility
The entire house could be disassembled with basic tools, shipped, and reassembled elsewhere. True demountable architecture.
Disassembly Timeline
Pre-Documentation
Complete photographic survey of assembled house. Establishing reference documentation.
Systematic Disassembly
Reverse construction sequence. Document each step with photos, measurements, notes.
Component Analysis
Detailed study of individual parts. Material testing, wear assessment, manufacturing analysis.
Documentation Compilation
Assembly manual creation, archival preparation, educational material development.