- Montreal Biosphère
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Not to be confused with Montreal Biodome.
Montreal Biosphère 
Established 1967 Location Montreal, Quebec, Canada Type environment museum Website biosphere.ec.gc.ca/ The Biosphère is a museum in Montreal dedicated to the environment. It is located at Parc Jean-Drapeau, on Île Sainte-Hélène in the former pavilion of the United States for the 1967 World Fair Expo 67.
Contents
History
Expo 67
The architect of the geodesic dome was Richard Buckminster Fuller. The building originally formed an enclosed structure of steel and acrylic cells, 76 metres (250 ft) in diameter and 62 metres (200 ft) high. The dome is a Class 1, Frequency 16, Icosahedron. A complex system of shades was used to control the internal temperature.
The architects for the interior exhibition space were from Golden Metak Productions. Visitors had access to four large theme platforms divided into seven levels. The building included a 37-metre-long escalator, the longest ever built at the time. The Minirail monorail ran through the pavilion.[1]
1976 Fire
In the afternoon of the 20 May 1976, during structural renovations,a fire burned away the building's transparent acrylic bubble, but the steel truss structure remained.[2] The site remained closed until 1990.[3][4]
Biosphère Environment Museum
In August, 1990, Environment Canada purchased the site for $17.5 million to turn it into an interactive museum showcasing and exploring the water ecosystems of the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence River regions.[4] The museum, inaugurated in 1995 as a water museum, is a set of enclosed buildings designed by Éric Gauthier, inside the original steel skeleton. The Biosphère changed its name in 2007 to become an environment museum. It offers interactive activities and presents exhibitions about the major environmental issues related to water, climate change, air, ecotechnologies, and sustainable development.
Appearances in movies
The structure is used prominently in the original Battlestar Galactica television series episode, "Greetings from Earth". Scenes for Robert Altman's post-apocalyptic ice age film Quintet were shot on site as well.
Images
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Side view
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In snow
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October 2005
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From the water
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Interior view
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Panorama
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July 2011
See also
References
- ^ "USA PAVILION AT EXPO video newsreel film". Newsreel. British Pathe. http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=44754. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ Bolton, KC (2009-01-31). "Photo du jour - Biosphere Burning". Spacing Montreal. http://spacingmontreal.ca/2009/01/31/photo-du-jour-biosphere-burning/. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
- ^ A View On Cities (2007). "Biosphere, Montreal". Montréal Attractions. http://www.aviewoncities.com/montreal/biosphere.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ a b Environment Canada (2006-01-24). "A Short History of the Biosphère". The Sphere. http://biosphere.ec.gc.ca/History-WS7DD2D209-1_En.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
External links
Coordinates: 45°30′50.73″N 73°31′53.38″W / 45.5140917°N 73.5314944°W
Categories:- Event venues established in 1980
- Landmarks in Montreal
- Museums in Montreal
- Buckminster Fuller
- High-tech architecture
- Domes
- Geodesic domes
- Expo 67
- Rebuilt buildings and structures in Canada
- Natural history museums in Canada
- Canadian World's Fairs architecture
- Buildings and structures completed in 1967
- Burned building and structures in Canada
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