The Montreal Biosphere Is A Modern Eco-Museum
Not to be mistaken with the nature exhibits found at the Montreal Biodome, the Montreal Biosphere is a stunning dome-shaped museum dedicated to educating people on the importance of water and the environment. Originally the biosphere started out as the United States pavilion and one of the largest attractions at Expo ’67, the 1967 World’s Fair.
Image By René Ehrhardt
Richard Buckminster Fuller was the architect of the biosphere. He designed it at the request of the US specifically for the 1967 World’s Fair. The biosphere was built out of steel pipes and large pieces of acrylic paneling. It stands at 76 meters (250 feet) in diameter and 62 meters (200 feet) high.
After the fair, in January 1968, the US Government officially donated the biosphere to the city of Montreal. For many years it was used for various recreational activities and served as a tourist attraction for the city of Montreal. It also housed a variety of birds and plants for awhile.
It wasn’t until 1990 that it was purchased by Environment Canada to be turned into an interactive eco-museum. Unfortunately by this time the biosphere no longer had it’s original acrylic “skin” or paneling on it, as it was burned off during a fire in 1976. Therefore it was decided to have the enclosed buildings, that would hold the new museum, built directly inside the original biosphere dome.
The museum has many permanent and temporary exhibits that are designed for interactive education. A main focus of the museum is on the importance of water, the effects of climate change and the need for the sustainable development of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River eco-systems.
Of course, in addition to the museum being about the environment, the biosphere itself is considered to be a “green” building. They now have wind turbines, a geothermal system, a wastewater treatment plant, etc. The nearby ECoological Solar House has solar panels on it (of course). Recently new green roofs and indoor gardens were also added.
A favorite amongst the exhibits (especially with the kids) is the Planet Bucky exhibit which helps teach kids about sustainable development, biodiversity, eco-technologies, water, weather, etc.
“We are all living on one big island in a huge ocean. It’s our only vessel for travelling through space: our ‘Spaceship Earth’! It has enough resources for all humanity, but we have to steer it carefully!” — Richard Buckminster Fuller
From the time of its original construction to the present day, the Montreal Biosphere has taken many turns. Although one thing has stayed strong. The biosphere was designed to be a sort-of “look into the future” and in some aspects it still is today.
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Comments
Now that makes a lot of sense dude. Wow.
A wonderful idea– we are not going to be able to take water for granted much longer- Kudos Montreal
That sentence should never be uttered.