The 50th anniversary of Expo 67 in Montreal is coming up next year, and architecture firms are taking note. Expo 67, after all, was not an ordinary world fair: It still holds the record single-day attendance for a world fair with 569,500 visitors, and it introduced the world to such famous structures as the brutalist masterpiece Habitat 67 and R. Buckminster Fuller’s utopian Montreal Biosphere.
It is this latter building that has captured the imagination of the New York–based firm Dror, who recently unveiled plans for a second geodesic dome for Montreal’s Île Sainte-Hélène, the original site of the fair, which is now used primarily as a park.
© Dror
“Taking Fuller’s geodesic dome, a lonely orphan in the Montreal skyline, into account, we propose a second, enlarged dome for the western tip of the island,” explained the firm in a statement. “Poetically engaging Bucky’s existing structure in a visual dance, interacting much like the sun and the moon, our concept gives the Biosphere a long-awaited companion and ushers Montreal into the future.”
© Dror
Dror’s dome, left, will poetically engage Fuller’s landmark Montreal Biosphere, right.
Like Fuller, the architects at Dror are interested in the relationship between architecture and the environment. Fuller was originally drawn to the idea of a geodesic dome because of resource conservation: The design is extremely strong for its light weight, and spherical buildings provide the greatest amount of coverage for the least surface area. As environmental concerns grow in relevance, Dror believes that Fuller’s legacy deserves a second look.
Dror imagines their 492-foot-wide (150-meter-wide) dome will serve as a popular public gathering space. Their scheme differs from Fuller’s in its planted canopy, which the architects say will transform the area into a “magical cultural space.”
© Dror
“The vegetated cover, serving as a natural sound buffer, offers an enchanting backdrop for events year-round: festivals, fairs, concerts, installations, food markets, performances and hackathons,” explain the architects. “The possibilities are endless.”