Montreal Biosphere facts for kids
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| Established | 1967 |
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| Location | 160 Tour-de-l'Isle road Montreal, Quebec H3C 4G8 |
| Type | environment museum |
| Owner | Space for Life |
| Public transit access |   at Jean-Drapeau |
The Biosphere, also known as the Montreal Biosphere, is a cool museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It focuses on the environment and how we can protect it. The museum is inside a giant dome that was once the United States pavilion for Expo 67. You can find it on Saint Helen's Island in Parc Jean-Drapeau. The famous architect Buckminster Fuller designed this unique dome.
Contents
The Biosphere's Story
Building the Dome for Expo 67
The Biosphere building started as the United States pavilion for Expo 67. This big world's fair happened in Montreal in 1967. The U.S. government shared its plans for the building in 1965.
The dome's outside was designed by R. Buckminster Fuller. He worked with Shoji Sadao and Geometrics Inc. The inside parts and exhibits were designed by Cambridge Seven Associates. Building the dome began in December 1965.
Expo 67 opened on April 27, 1967, and closed on October 29, 1967. Visitors rode a very long escalator, about 135 feet tall, to see the exhibits. This escalator was said to be the longest of its kind back then.
The top two levels had an exhibit called "Destination: Moon." It showed off NASA's space programs. Real spacecraft, like the Freedom 7 and Gemini 7 capsules, hung from the dome's steel frame.
On the middle level, the "American Spirit" exhibit showed many interesting items. These included Native American crafts, folk art, guitars from famous musicians, and a large collection of hats. There was also a gallery of Hollywood movie items. Another exhibit, "American Painting Now," displayed 22 large paintings by modern American artists. A theater showed a film called A Time to Play, which featured American kids playing different playground games.
From Expo to Man and His World
After Expo 67, the site became "Man and His World." This was an ongoing exhibition held every summer. The United States gave its pavilion building to the City of Montreal.
The pavilion was renamed the Biosphere in 1968. It became a place for birds (an aviary) and plants (an arboretum). It had four hanging gardens and hundreds of birds.
In 1971, the United States used the Biosphere again for a "Visit USA" display. This was to encourage tourism. In 1972, it went back to being about nature. They added baboons, a Japanese garden, and a children's play area called Sleeping Beauty's Fantasy Land.
By 1973, the Biosphere changed again. It became an exhibit about stopping pollution. This exhibit was called "Man and His Environment." It was sponsored by Hydro-Québec.
The 1976 Fire
On May 20, 1976, a big fire badly damaged the Biosphere. A welding crew was doing work when the fire started. The fire burned away the clear plastic bubble that covered the building. But the strong steel frame stayed standing.
After the fire, the city wanted to keep the Biosphere. They hoped to use it as an open-air space. Maybe it could have hanging gardens or be a concert place. Plans were made in 1977 to turn it into a fun area called Man at Play. But these plans did not happen. By 1980, the building's future was still unclear. The city was cleaning it up, hoping to find someone to help fix it.
The building stayed closed and unused for many years, until 1990.
Reopening as an Environment Museum
In August 1990, Environment Canada decided to spend $17.5 million. They wanted to turn the Biosphere into an interactive museum. This new museum would teach people about the water ecosystems of the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River regions.
The museum officially opened on June 6, 1995. It has new buildings inside the original steel frame. These were designed by Éric Gauthier.
In 2007, the Biosphere changed its name to become an environment museum. It now has fun, hands-on activities. It also shows exhibits about big environmental topics. These include water, climate change, air, green technologies, and sustainable development.
The museum often lights up in different colors for special events. In April 2020, it lit up in many colors to support people during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2022, it glowed green for World Environment Day.
In 2021, the Biosphere became part of Space for Life. This is a group of nature museums run by the City of Montreal.
The Dome's Design
The museum is inside the special dome built for Expo 67. The architect, Buckminster Fuller, designed this geodesic dome. It was originally a closed building made of steel and clear acrylic panels. It was about 76 meters (249 feet) wide and 62 meters (203 feet) high.
The dome has a special double-layer design. The inner and outer layers are connected by a network of metal bars. This makes it very strong.
The original design included a system of shades to control the temperature inside. Fuller wanted the dome to act like human skin, adjusting to the sun. But this shading system did not work well and was later turned off.
Architects from Golden Metak Productions designed the inside exhibit space. Visitors could explore four themed areas on seven different levels. The building had a very long escalator, about 37 meters (121 feet) long. This was the longest one built at that time. A small monorail, called the Minirail, even ran through the pavilion. In 2021, The New York Times called the dome one of the "25 Most Significant Works of Postwar Architecture."
What the Biosphere Inspired
The Biosphere's unique shape has inspired other things. The carbon molecule buckminsterfullerene was named after Buckminster Fuller. This is because the molecule's shape looks like a tiny geodesic sphere. One of its discoverers, Harold Kroto, remembered seeing the Biosphere at Expo 67.
The dome also influenced the design of Spaceship Earth at EPCOT Center in Walt Disney World. Disney designer John Hench took the Biosphere's three-quarter sphere idea and made it into a full sphere. It looks like it's balancing on legs.
See also
In Spanish: Biosphère de Montreal para niños
- Voice of Fire
- Biosphere
- Thin-shell structure
- List of thin shell structures
