| "The United States pavilion's designers chose a Buckminster Fuller dome, two hundred feet high (20 stories) and 250 feet in diameter. As in all of Fuller's domes both little and big, they used three- dimensional units, a triangle on the outside, hexagonal on the inside, and curved to fit a given arc, as its structural basis. By connecting them together in the shape of a dome, it distributed the structure's weight over the whole surface. To avoid his usual half-dome that produced a squat look, the pavilion's designers built a beautifully proportioned, three-quarter sphere that fit the site ideally. It was the most complicated of his domes. It used an elaborate system of retractable shading screens to control the heat within. A computer adjusted the screens in accordance with the sun's rays. Its exterior covering was exquisitely tinted, and surprisingly it was lovely to look at."
excerpted from a paper describing the Architecture of Expo 67
http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/expo67/map-docs/architecture.htm
Montreal's Biosphere is a unique interactive museum aiming to raise awareness of the Saint-Lawrence river and the Great Lakes ecosystem. Due to its specific architecture, energy consumption is substantial. The combination of a geothermal system and leading-edge technologies produces an impressive energy efficiency. Compared to a conventional electrical option, the geothermal system shows a reduction in energy usage of 459 MWh (approx. 21%) annually, which is significant considering the extensive use of windows throughout the building and Canada's northern climate. The payback period is just under six months. Montreal's Biosphere is a unique interactive museum aiming to raise awareness of the Saint-Lawrence river and the Great Lakes ecosystem. Due to its specific architecture, energy consumption is substantial. The combination of a geothermal system and leading-edge technologies produces an impressive energy efficiency. Compared to a conventional electrical option, the geothermal system shows a reduction in energy usage of 459 MWh (approx. 21%) annually, which is significant considering the extensive use of windows throughout the building and Canada's northern climate. The payback period is just under six months.
more on the evolution of the Biosphere project and Fuller's vision http://biosphere.ec.gc.ca/
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