Biosphère of Environment Canada

The Biosphère of Environment Canada is a museum in Montréal dedicated to water and 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.

The architect of the geodesic dome was Richard Buckminster Fuller. The building originally formed an enclosed structure of steel and acrylic cells, 250 ft in diameter and 200 ft high. A complex system of shades was used to control the internal temperature.

During structural renovations in May 1976, a fire burned away the building's transparent acrylic bubble, but the steel lattice remained. The site remained closed until 1990.

Photo 530, June 2010