Biosphere Montreal
The Biosphère is a water and environmental museum in the Canadian city of Montreal . The building was built on the occasion of the world exhibition Expo 67 based on designs by the architect Richard Buckminster Fuller as a pavilion for the United States. The museum has been housed there since 1995. The Canadian Ministry of Environment Environment Canada is responsible for the project . The museum is located in Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène .
history
Buckminster Fuller created a geodesic dome for the World's Fair . A steel structure was created from prefabricated parts, which was clad with honeycombs made of acrylic. The diameter of the sphere is 76 meters, its height is 62 meters. A complex system of parasols made it possible to control the internal temperature.
The Golden Metak Productions office was responsible for the interior exhibition . Visitors to the pavilion had access to four large themed worlds, spread over seven levels. A 37-meter-long escalator was installed for access , which was the longest ever built at the time.
During renovation work in May 1976, a fire destroyed the transparent outer shell of the building, but the supporting structure was retained. The site remained closed until 1990. In August 1990, the Canadian Ministry of the Environment purchased the site for a sum of 17.5 million dollars and built an interactive museum on it, which is dedicated to conveying the ecosystems of the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence River . The opening of the museum took place in 1995. Éric Gauthier created the new buildings within the steel frame .
literature
- J. Baldwin: Bucky Works: Buckminster Fuller's Ideas for Today , published by John Wiley & Sons 1997, ISBN 978-0-471-19812-3 , pp. 164-167.
Web links
Coordinates: 45 ° 30 ′ 50.7 " N , 73 ° 31 ′ 53.4" W.