Breathtaking Geodesic Domes Around The World

At very rare moments, the divine world gifts selected members of the mortal world with rare moments of inspiration. In these moments, transcendental works of art are produced that take our breath away. There are a plethora of geodesic domes all over the world, however, there are some that inspire more than others. In this article, we shall take a glimpse at some of the magnificent geodesic domes that continue to marvel humanity.

Montreal Biosphere

The Montreal Biosphere is often quite rightly referred to as The Biosphere. Developed by the father of Geodesic Domes, Buckminster Fuller, in 1967; The Biosphere has stood the test of time including a catastrophic inferno in 1976 to remain one of the most spectacular geodesic domes on the planet. It has an intricate system of blinding shades, acrylic cells and steel rods. It's capabilities of sensitivity and adaptability make the geodesic membrane of The Biosphere to be equated to the human skin. It is no surprise that The Biosphere has found its way in movies and television shows. Diehard fans of the science fiction television hit Battlestar Galactica got to see it in the nineteenth episode of the first season. The Biosphere is now an environmental museum.

Telus World of Science

The Telus World of Science was inspired by you guessed it, Buckminister Fuller, for the Expo 86. It was popularly referred to as Science World by the general public, the building is a science museum located in Vancouver, Canada. Standing an impressive 155 feet tall, the building boasts of 766 lights, 15000 pounds of extruded aluminium and aluminium panels and a total building area of 10,220 square metres. This wonderful piece of art continues to be renovated on a regular basis.

Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

The Spaceship Earth did not escape the genius of Buckminister Fuller as he was involved in handling the structural mathematics and coining the name 'Spaceship Earth'. The pat on the back however goes to Ray Bradbury who designed the spherical geodesic dome supported by three pairs of legs. The Spaceship Earth is completely spherical with 11324 silver facets, 954 triangular panels and a significant 109375 square metres of pavilion area. Spaceship Earth is a slow paced, audio-animatronic based ride at Epcot in the Walt Disney World Resort.

The Eden Project

The Eden Project in Cornwall, United Kingdom, draws quick parallels with the Biblical Garden of Eden and with good reason. The Eden Project is marked by three geodesic domes (biomes that house thousands of plant species from all over the world) that are spread over a reclaimed piece of land. The team of Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners, Tim Smit and Arup Engineering are the brains behind the design of The Eden Project. It continues to draw huge crowds as it is a tourist attraction, an educational tool and a jewel for humanity.

These are some of the most breathtaking geodesic domes. Indeed there are a lot more others like The Matrimandir in Tamil Nadu, India and The Tacoma dome in Washington, United States of America. Let us hope for more magnificent geodesic domes!