' s ▁ideas ▁and ▁achiev ements . ▁In ▁his ▁own ▁right , ▁Bald win ▁was ▁a ▁figure ▁in ▁American ▁design ers ' ▁efforts ▁to ▁incorpor ate ▁solar , ▁wind , ▁and ▁other ▁renew able ▁energy ▁sources . ▁In ▁his ▁career , ▁being ▁a ▁fabric ator ▁was ▁as ▁important ▁as ▁being ▁a ▁designer . ▁Bald win ▁is ▁noted ▁as ▁the ▁invent or ▁of ▁the ▁" P ill ow ▁D ome ", ▁a ▁design ▁that ▁comb ines ▁Buck min ster ▁Full er ' s ▁ge odes ic ▁d ome ▁with ▁pan els ▁of ▁infl ated ▁E TF E ▁pl astic ▁pan els . ▁ ▁Life ▁and ▁work ▁ ▁J . ▁Bald win ▁was ▁born ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁an ▁engineer . ▁Bald win ▁has ▁said ▁that , ▁at ▁ 1 8 , ▁he ▁heard ▁Buck min ster ▁Full er ▁speak ▁for ▁ 1 4 ▁hours ▁non - stop . ▁This ▁was ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 1 ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Michigan , ▁where ▁Bald win ▁had ▁en rolled ▁to ▁learn ▁autom obile ▁design ▁because ▁a ▁friend ▁of ▁his ▁had ▁been ▁killed ▁in ▁a ▁car ▁accident ▁that ▁Bald win ▁attributed ▁to ▁bad ▁design . ▁He ▁worked ▁with ▁Full er ▁prior ▁to ▁gradu ation ▁from ▁U . ▁of ▁M . ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 5 . ▁During ▁his ▁student ▁years , ▁Bald win ▁worked ▁( in ▁a ▁unique ▁job ▁sharing ▁role ) ▁in ▁an ▁auto ▁factory ▁assembly ▁line . ▁He ▁went ▁on ▁to ▁do ▁gradu ate ▁work ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁California , ▁Ber keley .